Earths Darkest Hour
by TheChippedCup
Summary: Earth was plunged into devastion after the battle of Chicago. NEST destroyed, Autobots seemingly defeated, all hope seems lost. Here is the story of one Human who is saved by the Autobots, and her struggle through war. Discontinued.
1. Chapter 1

**Inspired by Answerthecall's story, "Uncertain Future". **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, blah blah blah, all rights go to Hasbro.**

* * *

><p>This couldn't be happening. This would have never happened. This could have never happened. Danni watched in horror as people ran for their lives, screaming. Crimson blood was spilled every second, either that, or they were blasted to little ash piles, a few of their bones still there. What had happened? Why was it happening now? Everything was fine just a few hours ago. She'd been with her parents, walking down the sidewalk. Then, it had come. She thought it was just one huge cloud at first, not paying any attention to the sudden shadow. But then, people had started screaming, and running around like crazy.<p>

She had been so excited, and had run away from her parents, to caught up in the moment. Being the sci-fi fan she was, this was an awesome experience. At least, that was before she saw the thing that tore her soul apart. Right then, a giant mechanical being had dropped from one of the giant ships, and had started shooting at the tiny Humans below him. And his first victims, Danni's parents. She had no time to grieve, only a single tear dripped down her cheek, but she had ran, not wanting to be next. Her parents would have wanted her to live, she knew they would.

She simply watched as millions died from an alley, eyes widening in horror at every discharge of a cannon. Where was the army? Didn't they want to save them? She had seen military jets in the sky, only to be shot down by some Decepticon drones. Their only hope, the Autobots, were dead. She'd seen it on TV, the rocket had been destroyed. All hope was lost. Their race was doomed. And it was because they believed that sending them on that rocket was the only way to survive.

She felt sick, just watching their bodies fall to the ground, watching as some got squished by some 'Cons who had just happened to step there. Her stomach churned, but she held down the vile in her throat. She cowered away, deeper into the alley. She didn't want to be killed, or captured. She knew well enough that the Decepticons would take Humans as prisoners and slaves, even trophies.

All was lost.

What seemed like a small quake erupted behind Danni, and she spun around, hand covering her mouth in horror. There, stood a large, red eyed monster. It was much larger then her, and her body trembled in fear as she stood, paralyzed in place, as the devil walked menacingly towards her. Only a few feet away now, he pulled out his plasma cannon, aiming for her small form. "Human," His electronic voice sent chills down her spine. "Terminate."

Danni fell to her knees, which had become very weak, and put her hands together in a prayer. Small clips of her short life passed by her, and she began to weep. She was going to die, she knew it. There was no way out. If she went running, either his cannon would get her, or the other 'Cons outside the alley would. This was the less painless way. At least she would see her parents again. Her tears became hot, and she could fell the cannons heat as it warmed up, though, it all seemed in slow motion.

She waited for the fire of the gun, and yet, nothing came. She only heard the sound of a blast, the grind of metal, and then, silence. Carefully, she opened her eyes, and looked in shock at the sight before her. The Decepticon that was just about to kill her, had been knocked to the ground, stuck in stasis lock. Looking up, she saw another mech, cannon smoking, even larger than the Decepticon, stood behind her. Her eyes widened.

It couldn't be.

But it was. An Autobot. They were still alive! So filled with joy, she cried even harder, but out of sheer happiness. There still was hope. Earth still could be saved! Danni got off her knees, and ran towards the mech, clinging herself to his leg. He looked down in surprise at the small Human as she cried and hugged his leg. "Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!" She cried, putting her head against his metal plating.

She looked at the mech straight in the optics, his clear blue optics. His battle mask hide his face, and nuzzled into his leg. She wasn't prepared for when the large mech picked, bringing her to optics level. His optics were so blue and pure, they were mesmerizing. He looked her over for a moment. "Where are your parents little one? Surely you did not come here alone."

Danni looked at the war raging outside the alley for a moment. The Autobots were fighting off the Decepticons, letting the Humans flee for safety. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath "They…the…..the Decepticons got them." She said sadly, more tears pushing against her eyelids. "They were the first to go." Bringing her knees to her chest, she curled into a small ball in his palm. Now, she had time to mourn. Putting her head onto her knees, she cried.

She must have looked pretty pathetic to the mech, and she flinched as he began to gently rub her back with a digit. "Do not leak little one. You are safe. I will protect you." He said softly, and she looked at him slowly. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes to get away the tears in her eyes.

"Who…Who are you?"

His battle mask retracted, and he smiled slightly at her.

"Optimus Prime."

* * *

><p><strong>What do you think? Worth Continuing?<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2! Yay!**

* * *

><p>Optimus had gotten out of Chicago in one piece, the Human still in his servos, and found something devastating outside the ruined city. The Decepticons, though unable to bring Cybertron, had decided instead, to simply take over the Earth. In a few hours, the 'Cons had managed to spread their rusty claws all around Illinois, and every state around it. The Autobot leader didn't even want to imagine what they could do in a few short months.<p>

The Human in his seats, his team by his side, they quickly drove away from the Decepticon filled states. Optimus wished there was more he could do, but first, they needed to rest, find or build a hideout, and make a plan. Sam rode in Bumblebee, along with Carly, and Will Lennox and Epps rode in Ratchet. But, Optimus had failed to tell them about the young Human in his own interior. He hadn't had any time, trying to get out of there and blasting Decepticons at the same time.

Optimus processer raced as he tried to think of a suitable place to stay, something hidden from the 'Cons. The White House, and most other government bases had been bombed by the Decepticons already, and most of the surviving soldiers were showing people to safety on the Southern side of America. It seemed a safe haven for most, the luckier ones getting a plane to the next closest country.

Driving down the road, Optimus looked inwards at his passenger, only to see her curled up, sleeping soundly, twitching her arm or leg from time to time. He needed to tell them this, before they got back to the Southern side.

_-Ratchet, come in Ratchet- _Of course, first he wanted to tell his oldest friends about this, sudden news.

_-Yes Optimus, I read you loud and clear. Is something the matter?- _

_-I, picked up something in Chicago-_

_-Picked up what exactly Optimus?- _

_-I currently have a passenger Ratchet-_

A pause. A very _long_ pause.

_-A Passenger?- _Ratchet finally said, sounding completely confused.

_-When we were fighting off the Decepticons, I noticed a Human in distress, and took it upon myself to take her-_ Optimus stated calmly.

Another pause, longer then the last.

_-Toke it upon yourself? Optimus, their were hundreds of other Humans in that city, and you just randomly choose to save one?- _Ratchet blurted.

_-Yes-_

Now the CMO just seemed to be in shock. _–Oh…well…alright then. If that's what you thought was right. Ratchet, over and out- _

Optimus smiled at this. Ratchet had grown fond of that Human saying, the whole "Roger" thing annoyed him greatly, and he preferred over and out, though the twins, both sets, always pestered him with that saying whenever they got a comm with him. Actually, it didn't matter if they were comming or not, whenever the twins would leave his med bay for whatever reason, they would always say on their way out, "Bye Hatchet! _Roger out_!" But usually, they'd get a dent in their helms from the medics wrenches.

Sighing, he watched as several of his teammates stopped, but kept moving towards Optimus slowly. Of course, Ratchet had told them.

_-Optimus. Who's in your rig- _Wills voice was gruff and hoarse, probably from his battle cries.

_-Yeah Big Man, who's in there- _Epps was slightly friendlier, though just as gruff as Wills.

_-Optimus? We heard what Ratch said, is there really somebody in there?- _Sam asked.

But Optimus didn't answer, which arose their worries.

_-Who's in there?-_ Sideswipe persisted.

_-Are they hurt?- _Ratchet questioned.

_-Why are they even in there?__-_ Dino snapped

_-Are you sure they can be trusted?- _Roadbuster spoke.

_-Who is it?- _Sideswipe cried, though everyone still ignored him.

_-Where did you find them?- _Carly asked shakily.

_-WHO ARE THEY?-_ Sideswipes scream almost shattered everyone's audio receptors and ears.

_-I haven't gotten her name yet-_ Optimus said calmly, and mumbles came from the Comm. But Sideswipe cry had startled the girl inside, and she jumped up at the sound, looking around. Not remembering where she was, Danni panicked, going for the rigs door. Before she could even fling it open, the locks clicked. Her breathing became fast and nervous, and she crawled around the seats like a caged animal.

"Please, do not be alarmed. You are safe young one. All's well." Optimus cooed, making Danni slightly relax. She remembered him now, and sighed in relief. He was an Autobot, the one that had saved her. Settling down in the leather seat, she looked around curiously. It was oddly nice in here, and the seats were quite comfortable. _"_Now," Danni jumped at the voice. "what's your name?"

"Oh, uh, D-Danni. Danni Tunningham." She said with a slight stutter. She was still pretty shaken up from watching the battle, and had a reel of her parents death rewinding over and over in her head, though she tried to push it away. "Where are you Optimus? Where are we goin'?"

Optimus sighed. "We are just on the border of Ohio, and I do not know exactly where we are going." He said honestly. Danni blinked once, and looked out the window. They weren't in Chicago anymore, that was for sure. It was just grass and road. No building, and no screaming, crying, and or dying people.

She saw several other cars on Optimus' sides, some behind him, and at first, thought they were Decepticons getting ready to attack. But, when she saw the Autobot emblem on their forms, she calmed down.

Optimus noticed her nervousness as she looked out the window. It seemed like she was afraid of every little thing now. But, he wouldn't expect anything else from one so young. Most people in that city were either adults, or maybe twenty year olds. He hadn't seen one Human Sparkling there, not one. "Relax Danni, they are just the rest of the Autobots." He said, and Danni simply nodded towards the dashboard. Looking back at the cars, she managed to see through the tinted windows people inside of some of them, and cocked her head to the side. Had they been saved by the Autobots too? Tapping the dashboard, she got a small "Hmm?"

"Yeah, Optimus. Who are those guys?" She questioned.

"They are our allies. They were the ones that made it out of Chicago…." He said, and sighed. "The three men are Samuel Witwicky, Robert Epps, and Will Lennox. The woman next to Sam is Carly Spencer." Danni nodded again, and looked out the window. Optimus sighed once more. Better show the rest of them who exactly was in his rig.

Rolling down the window, Danni poked her face out.

_-Uh, I think we just found out who's with Optimus-_ Sam said, and Danni could see him and Carly going wide eyed.

Epps threw his arms up in the air. _–I knew it! Didn't I tell you Will? I knew it was a kid! Now pay up!-_

_-Optimus! The Humans a Sparkling?- _Ratchet yowled.

_-Yes Ratchet, the Humans a Sparkling-_ Topspin grunted, not seeming to care one bit.

_-Why'd you bring her along Optimus? She's probably just gonna slow us down!- _ Sideswipe remarked.

Danni stuck her head out the window, eyebrows crossing angrily at the silver car. "Uh, I can hear you you know." She said shyly.

Sideswipe chuckled lightly at her meekness, and just for fun, went into to tank mode. He had only meant to jest, but this action scared the girl out of her skin, and she scrambled back onto the seat, eyes flicking towards the window as she curled herself in the corner of the rig. Optimus shot a mental glare at the soldier. "Sideswipe!" The silver car seemed to cringe at the angry voice. "What do you think your doing? You should never point a weapon at a Human, no matter what!" He growled, his low, baritone voice making it even more menacing. "She has been through enough from the past 24 hours, I don't want you scaring her even more!"

"Yes Optimus." Sideswipe said, going to the back of the truck, the very last in the line of Autobots.

Optimus said no more, just drove. Closing his window, he looked inwards at Danni, who was shaking slightly. One gun had been pointed at her already, and she didn't want another pointed at her again. She was scared of the silver 'Bot now, Sideswipe, as Optimus had called him. He didn't seem all that friendly for an Autobot, and she wished that not everyone of the Autobots were like him, and were like Optimus.

Laying down across his warm leather seats, and yawned. Even after her nap, she was still tired. Probably because all the crying she had been doing as Optimus carried her to safety. Optimus knew what a yawn meant, seeing it from some of the NEST soldiers when they worked late shifts. Turning up the heat, he made it to a comfortable temperature. Danni shifted once, and closed her eyes, falling into troubled dreams.

Dreams about the fall of Chicago, the deaths of millions, the slight defeat of the Autobots. If they couldn't save Chicago, one single city, how were they going to save the world? There were only several of their protectors, and millions of their soon-to-be dictators. How were they going to win a war, they'd already lost? And how would she manage without her parents? Where would she go? What would she do? Her only relatives, her grandmother and grandfather, had lived in Chicago, and she highly doubted if they were still alive after that disaster. She couldn't see her parents anymore, she would never hear their voices again. They were gone.

Optimus didn't notice as a small tear slowly pushed out of her closed eye, and rolled down her cheek.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimier: I don't own anything from Transformers, it all belongs to Hasbro. Though I wished I owned it...**

* * *

><p>Danni woke with a start, again. Optimus had come to an erupt halt, which almost sent her flying towards the window, though, just in time, her seatbelt had fastened itself around her chest, keeping her secured in her seat. Looking through the window, she saw a military looking man holding his hand towards them as a stop sign. All had stopped, though everyone had almost crashed into eachother, and Sideswipe was wailing about how Leadfoot had chipped his paint job, while the wrecker just laughed at him. The man came towards Optimus, putting his hand on the grill. "I'm going to have to ask you to get out of the vehicle sir."<p>

Danni shook her head in disbelief. Was this guy serious? Didn't he know an Autobot, Optimus Prime of all of them, when he saw one? He must have been new to the whole, government friends with the Autobots, either that or he had lost a contact. Optimus just stayed in place, engine rumbling. The mans eyebrows furrowed at him. "Sir, can you please get out of the vehicle." He persisted. Nothing but silence.

Now that guy looked angry. Stomping off to the door, he knocked on it. "SIR! I've been asking nicely! Now come out peacefully or I'll make you come out myself!" He growled. Optimus just stood his ground, not making a single noise. The man boiled with anger, veins popping out on his head. "YOU ASKED FOR THIS!" He flung the door open, and his jaw slacked down. The only thing in there was a ten year old girl. No driver.

Then, he realized who this was. His face became red and hot with embarrassment, and he saluted to the truck. "O-Optimus Pr-Prime sir!" He stuttered, looking weak in the knee. "I-I-I didn't know it was you sir!" An older looking soldier face palmed, and walked over to the younger recruit, slapping him upside the head. The man rubbed the back of his head, looked at his superior, and sulked away, full of shame of what he had just done.

"General Rodick, at your service." He said in a deep voice.

"Hello, General Rodick." Optimus greeted, engines rumbling as he moved forward slightly. "Now, my team and I would like to pass." Rodick nodded, and Optimus stared to move past him. But the General stopped him again, eyes locked onto Danni, who cowered to the corner at the stare. "What is wrong now General." Optimus asked. Rodick opened his door again, and grabbed her arm with his very large and sweaty hand, pulling her out of the rig.

Rodick grunted, pointing to Danni, who didn't like this man one bit. "She's got to come with us. All immigrates have to go to the camp." He growled, eyes still on Danni. Her arm felt like it was losing circulation from his tight grip, and she wriggled around, trying to use his sweat to slip away, but his grip only became tighter at her struggles. She didn't want to go with the man, he was scary looking with that pink scar going across the left side of his face. And Optimus seemed like he didn't want her to go with the General either.

He transformed, parts clicking into place as metal plates grinded against eachother, to form the body of a giant robot. His glowing optics stared down at the man, though he seemed totally unflustered by the whole scene, his grip as firm as ever. Optimus bended down, getting face to face with him. "She will be coming with us General." Optimus said, holding his servo towards the ground. Danni watched as the other Autobots transformed behind him, stretching their arms and legs.

But the General just shook his head. "No. She will be coming for debriefing to see if she has one of those Decepticon trackers." He shot her a glare, and Danni crumpled away from him. Why was he so mean to her? She didn't do anything to him, she barely just met him! She had nothing to do with those mechanical monsters, and just wanted to stay with Optimus. But, because of her shy nature, didn't speak up, only stood there, looking to Optimus with pleading eyes.

Optimus actually wanted her to stay with them, feeling the strong urge to protect her. It was either his parental instincts kicking in, or because he knew she wouldn't have anything to go to, and have no one to care for her. Her shyness would just make it worse for her, and when people would try to help her, she would probably be too shy to speak, and people would just give up trying to help her, and ignore her. Optimus knew she needed him. He seemed to be the only one she trusted. Optics narrowing at the man, he easily pushed him away from Danni, who quickly ran behind Optimus' leg. "As I said General," Optimus voice had slight anger in it. "She will be coming with _us_."

Now the man couldn't argue. There was no way he could win an argument with a 30 foot tall robot. The General just stepped out of the way, letting them pass. Optimus nodded towards him, and looked kindly down at the Human Sparkling at his feet. He picked her up in his servo, gently placing her onto his shoulder, and walking past the General, some of the Autobots behind him only giving him a slight side glance. Though when Will passed him, they gave eachother a small salute.

"Major Lennox."

"General Rodick."

The group traveled past the military men, making their way towards a camp in the distance. Danni felt uneasy being so high up, but felt like a giant compared to everything down below. So this was how Optimus saw things. Huh. She must be tiny. Leaning over to the side of his large shoulder, she looked at the other Humans below. Carly had curled herself into Sam, and the young man stroked her blonde hair in comfort. Will shook his head, kicking a pebble as he walked, and Epps walked alongside his friend, looking distant.

The Autobots were no better. Roadbuster looked towards the heavens, Ratchet mumbled under his breath, counting his fingers and his mumbles got quieter. Optimus knew what he was doing though. He was counting the ones he couldn't save. The medic always did that after a battle, to make himself more determined next time. Sideswipe looked towards the ground, never letting his optics looked away from the earth. The three wreckers, Roadbuster, Leadfoot and Topspin, talked quietly to eachother, glancing behind them occasionally. Bumblebee shook his helm, running a servo past it, and Dino just looked forward with a blank stare.

At least they had a safe place to lay their heads down. For now.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. I only own my OC's.**

* * *

><p>Their camp was fairly large, and had men with rifles surrounding the area, which scared Danni greatly as they passed them. A few soldiers walked in the camp, have small chats, and everyone was tense. Optimus let Danni off his shoulder, bringing his servo towards the ground. She hopped off it, and looked timidly towards the others. She was always the youngest, it seemed, for everything. She was the youngest in her class, the youngest on her swim team, youngest in her whole family. Putting her hands behind her back, she mumbled a small, "Hi."<p>

Sam smiled at her, and put out his hand towards her. "Sam Witwicky." He greeted. Danni hesitantly took his hand, shaking it.

"Danni Tunningham."

Sam nodded, and the rest of the adults just smiled at her. It made her feel awkward slightly, all eyes on her. She was glad when a man came walking up to him, clearing his throat to get their attention. "Excuse me, but I will show you where your going to stay." He turned, and started walking, everyone following behind him. He entered a large metal building, big enough for the Autobots to fit in it. He walked down the hallway, and stopped at a large doorway. "This will be where the Humans will be staying." He said, and showed them in, leaving the Autobots outside.

Everyone walked in, looking around. It was roomy, with metal bunk beds. The mattresses looked new, and so did the pillows, and blankets. It was clean enough, and the man exited, leaving the group to look around their new room, now leading the Autobots to their own large room. He stopped at a very large doorway, bigger then even Optimus. Several berths, each of different sizes, were in the large room, and the man nodded towards the 'Bots. "Have a good day." With that, he walked out of the room, back to wherever his post was.

Bumblebee looked towards Optimus, uncertainty in his baby blue optics. Optimus just nodded towards the scout. "I too, am uncertain of what will happen next Bumblebee. But, I am sure, that we will stop the Decepticons." Optimus said. They had battled them for eons, and this was not truly a real defeat. They were still strong, and now, had the support of other countries. He had been recently informed that Russia and Asia had made peace with America, and were shipping troops over. All of Earth was in trouble, and they needed all the help they could get. Sighing, to the rest of the Autobots, who looked around their new room. It wasn't NEST, but it would have to do. Optimus, done looking around his new quarters, walked out the door, into the hallway. He wanted to see their new camp, temporary or permanent.

Danni was doing the same thing, except she snuck away from the adults. She felt uncomfortable and uneasy among them, feeling like an outcast from their conversations, and she was too shy to try and join in them. Sighing, she looked at the ground. Why couldn't she at least try and be happy, or at least something close to it? Why did she have to be a crybaby who just wailed in the corner? _Well, it's because your parents are dead, the earth is doomed, and the Human race could possibly go extinct!_ A little voice nagged inside of her head. She hated that little voice. She hated it because it was right. It was seven against like, ten MILLION. That's a lot.

Her thoughts led her only to bump into something hard and metal, and she fell right onto her bottom. Rubbing her now throbbing head, she looked up, only to see the worried face of Optimus Prime. Funny how they kept bumping into eachother. He bent down, helping her up with a digit. "Are you alright youngling?" He questioned. "I did not see you there."

"Nah, I'm fine…just my head." Danni looked at him for a moment, and cocked her head to the side. "What are you doing out here Optimus. I thought you and the other Autobots were getting comfortable in your new room." She questioned.

Optimus grinned. "I thought you were supposed to be with the other Humans getting comfortable in your own room."

_Touché _

Danni shrugged, looking at the floor as she rocked slightly on her heels. "I…I was kinda getting a little bored, and I didn't feel comfortable around them and all….since their adults, and I'm a kid...they don't talk about a lot of interesting stuff, so I kinda sneaked away." She confessed. Optimus blinked in slight confusion, but nodded. He knew somewhat of this from back on Cybertron. He'd had his fair share of Sparklings, and whenever he tried to talk to them, they'd squirm around, either that or if they were way young, cry. She looked up at him. "So, why are you out here?"

She looked up at him. "So, why are you out here?"

"I was simply thinking about things." His voice was slightly distant.

Danni shrugged, looking back to the ground. "Me too." There was a sudden silence, and it became slightly awkward for Danni. She cleared her throat. "So, um, sorry I, uh, bothered you.." going past his leg, she walked on. Optimus simply stood there, looking over his shoulder at the girl. She only got a few feet away before a large black servo came in front of her, blocking her path. She looked over to Optimus, tilting her head to the side. He laid his servo flat on the ground.

"Come, I have something to show you." Danni gave him a confused look, but nodded, climbing onto the hand. He began to walk, out of the metal building. He walked out of the camp, and came onto a hill, which over shadowed a fairly large camp, full of people. They walked alongside on another, having small chats. Each had a small huddle, having small smiles, or trying to smile to make things seem brighter. "Do you see these people," Danni looked up at Optimus as he spoke, optics never leaving the camp. "They smile, when their world is being plunged into darkness." He looked towards her. "Do you know why they smile?" Danni looked back at them, and shook her head. "Because they have hope." Optimus' optics seemed a small bit brighter. "You can take away everything, but you cannot take away someone's hope." He looked towards her again. "Promise me, that you will always have hope." Danni nodded, and Optimus looked away from her, and back onto the Human camp.

Danni looked to it as well, and felt a small warmth tingling in her. She'd found her hope, a small spark of it at least. Optimus had brought on this hope, and she felt it get warmer and warmer every moment she spent with the mech. Settling down in his servo, she watched as the sun set slowly.

* * *

><p><strong>Danni and Optimus fluffy moment! AW! And, AH! ITS FRIDAY THE 13! And I'm sick cuz of its evil powers :( But, I hope you enjoyed Chapter 4!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

Two weeks had passed since the Decepticons had taken Chicago, and it was a horrible mess. Half of America was in ruins, and the Decepticon plague was reaching towards the far corners of the Earth. Ireland was easily taken over, and most of Europe was under their control, but Asia held strong. More Decepticons had come, out of seemingly nowhere, and were just making it worse for the Humans and Autobots. Sunstreaker had gotten Optimus' distress signal, and had come to join his fellow Autobots, but it didn't make much of a difference.

Danni had gone down towards that hill she and Optimus had stood, and her heart had dropped. People were crying, screaming. But, she still had that small shred of hope in her, she wouldn't give up. She wouldn't betray Optimus. Devastation was upon them, she knew it. Everyone did. But she wouldn't stop hoping that, somehow, there would be some kind of miracle.

But what she saw, betrayed her hopes.

Every soldier looked at the screen, horror on their faces, as a news broadcast went on. It showed the remainders of Ireland, England, and Chicago. Just cinders, crumbling biuldings, bodies, and blood. So much blood. The sky had turned grey, almost everywhere on the planet, as if Earth was grieving itself. The smoke of the ruins could be seen for miles, bringing fear and sadness to the hearts of millions. Red seemed to tint the smoke, as it was painted on each city. Everything had gone dark, and the only color left seemed to be that of blood.

Earth had given up on them it seemed, the grass dying and plants wilting. It seemed to know the end was here, and just, gave up. Danni looked away from the screen, pushing through the soldiers. She didn't want to look at it anymore, it was all too much for her. Walking out of the room, she went outside, her shoulders shuddering as she sobbed, yet no tears came from her eyes. She had cried so much already, seeing their world fall apart. She let out a small whimper, and walked past the barrier of the camp.

She knew she wasn't allowed to leave without an adult or an Autobot, but she couldn't stand being in there anymore. Everywhere you turned, someone had a weapon on hand, whether a small hand gun, or a bazooka, they were everywhere. She didn't want to see another weapon, hear another discharge of a gun, again. But, that seemed impossible by now. Her young soles rubbing against the dead grass, she looked towards the blackened sky, only the small shadow of the sun showing some light.

She remembered when she was able to play outside, carefree. She remembered when the sun shone down on her skin, warm and bright and happy. She remembered when people weren't murdered every second, but, those times seemed far away now, distant and unknown. So many died, every moment, they were mercilessly shot down. Innocent lives died. Children lost their parents, adults lost their families, the elderly lost their hope. And it was because they couldn't do anything.

Falling to her knees, she curled her fists into a ball, gritting her teeth. Why couldn't she just have died with her parents, why did God, whoever was looking down at them, want her to suffer like this. Why did she have to live to see all this destruction? _Kill me now….._She thought darkly in her head. Looking towards the grey sky, her eyes flamed with fury. "Why did I have to live! Just kill me now!" She screamed. No one answered, only the whisper in the wind. She closed her eyes, and hit her fists on the soil.

"Why, you didn't even have to ask."

Danni's eyes shot open. Looking up, she trembled. In front of her, stood a Decepticon. He smiled darkly at her, showing his large pointy teeth. Her pupils shrunk, and she felt like she couldn't breathe. His gruesome smile only became larger, and he stuck out a clawed digit, putting it under her chin to raise her head higher. "Are you not going to beg for mercy Human?" His voice sent shudders down her spine. He was demented, the way he talked, how he smiled, he was one of the messed up Decepticons, the ones that used Humans as toys they played with until they got bored with them.

Danni was frozen with fear, and her mouth opened, letting out a silent scream. Why had she been so filled with frustration and come out here like a stupid person? She had been told not to come out in case some daring 'Con decided to come out there. She was in deep trouble, and no one was there to save her. He pulled his finger away lazily, now cursing it over her cheek, scraping her chin to leave a small line of blood. "Don't you want to come and play with me fleshie? We'd have so much _fun_." Danni only let out a small squeak at his voice. "You could be my pet." He brushed a digit through her brown hair, curving it around her face. "I've had so many pets," He brought his faceplate down to her level. "I love playing with my pets," He brought his metallic lips to the side of her face. "Dead or alive." He whispered into her ear. "You'll never see the Autobots again, and if you do, and tell them what I did," Danni was shaking now. "_I'll kill you_."

Fear let adrenaline rush to her limbs, she pushed his digit away, running back towards Base. The 'Con just laughed at this, and easily caught up in front of her. Danni looked past the 'Con, heart racing. Camp was only a few miles away, she could see it, so close, but so far. Looking up to the 'Con, his blood red optics narrowed. "Nowhere to run fleshie, you'll be a good playing partner." He reached out, servo slowly coming towards her. "Now Human, your mi-"

Before he could even finish his sentence, something blasted him away, across the land. Danni looked over to see Roadbuster, barrel cannon out and still aimed at the 'Con. He looked towards her, and reached out a servo, scooping her up. The Decepticon got up slowly, and optics blared with hatred as he looked at the wrecker. "Filthy Autobot scum! You will pay!" He growled, turning to face the Autobot.

"Stay back Skywarp!" Roadbuster growled, bringing an alarmed Danni closer to his chest. "I'm warning you!" He pointed his cannon straight towards the 'Cons head, but the psychotic Decepticon just laughed hysterically. Roadbuster was surprised by this action. He'd heard stories of the Decepticon Skywarp, and how he messed with prisoners heads, playing disturbing mind games with them. Even some of the Decepticons were afraid of the psycho.

"You? Warn me?" Skywarp blurted. "Face it Autobot! You have lost, and you cannot regain it! We have won this war! There is no use for you to go around saving these weaklings anymore! They cannot be saved by you puny Autobots, we have taken over, and there is nothing, _nothing_ you can do about it." Roadbuster snarled at Skywarp, optics full of rage. But it seemed that was all the Decepticon wanted from him. He enjoyed others pain and anger. He relished it.

Roadbuster aimed right for the 'Con, who smiled like the Cheshire Cat, and warped away, out of sight. At least, Roadbuster didn't see him, and he turned jogging back towards camp. Danni noticed the 'Con in the distance, his dark broad smile still there as he waved. _I'm coming to get you. _He mouthed towards her, and her eyes widened in fear. In a flash, he was gone, but Danni knew somehow, he would be back.

And that fact scared her greatly.

**XXX**

"Who was it?" Optimus demanded. He had just heard from Roadbuster what had happened, and was furious. How dare they touch Danni!

"Skywarp."

That name sent shivers down Optimus' spine. He knew that mech all too well. He had once been his prisoner. The sick minded freak had tortured him so badly, Optimus had erased the memory from his processer, never wanting to think about that experience again. "Was Danni hurt?" He questioned, and Roadbuster shrugged.

"Don't know. Barely got to look at her when we got back." Roadbuster said, shaking his head. "That freak must have said something to her Prime, I don't know what's wrong with her." Roadbuster had noticed a small drip on red on her, but had dismissed it. "Ran back to her quarters right when we got here." The wrecker said, walking out the door. Optimus stood there, silently concerned for the young Human. What had the sick minded mech done to her?

Going out the door, he walked down the hallway, reaching the Humans quarters, bending down, he gently knocked on the side of the doorframe, not wanting to just peek in. "Danni, I would like to speak to you." He said, yet no one answered. Again, he tried. "Danni, would you please come out." Still nothing. Someone tapped his foot, and he looked over to see an extremely confused Sam.

"Optimus, what are you doing?" He questioned.

Optimus sighed. "Danni just had an, unpleasant meeting with her first Decepticon." Optimus explained. "It was Skywarp," Even Sam shuddered at the name. "And I fear that he has done something to her, and want to see if she is alright." He looked at the door way, then Sam. "Could you get her out of that room for me."

Sam nodded towards the Autobot, and walked in the room, to see Danni on the edge of her bed, shaking her head as she tried to get the image of the vile mech out of her head. Sam came towards her, full of concern, and gently came by her side. "Hey, you okay?" He asked, though he already knew the answer. Danni shook her head vigorously, and Sam got off the bed. "Come on, tell Optimus what happened." Danni looked up at him, blue eyes full of fear, and shook her head. Skywarp had told her not to tell, or he would kill her. And she believed that threat. Sam smiled, helping her off. "Come on, just tell him. Everything's gonna be okay." He said reassuringly.

Danni, though reluctantly, nodded, and walked out the door, right into Optimus. The mech gave her small smile, which surprised Sam greatly. He'd never really seen Optimus show much emotion, more or less _smile_. He really had a soft for this girl. Optimus picked her up, and walked towards his office, closing the door behind him. He had his own office, in case he needed to talk to someone in private. Settling down in an oversized chair, he set her on his desk. "Now Danni," The girl barely looked at Optimus. "What did Skywarp do?"

Danni sighed, and pushed back the hair in her face, showing the scratch. Optimus felt slight fury boil in him at the sight of the large scab on her cheek, but kept it bottled up inside himself, for now. "I, I went past the barrier." Danni said, her voice laced in shame. "I know I shouldn't have…..but I was so sad, just watching all those people die on the TV…..I just needed to be alone, to not see another weapon….And then he came." Danni felt a her stomach do a flip at the thought of the horrible mech. "I-I didn't know what to do, and I was scared he was going to kill me."

"He asked me if I was going to beg for mercy," She gulped. "And then he did this…" She motioned towards the scratch. "He..asked me, if I..I wanted to play with him.." Danni trembled slightly, and Optimus knew exactly what Skywarp had meant. He had asked Optimus the same thing, asking him to play one of his twisted games. It didn't matter what age, Skywarp had dark things in mind for prisoners, his "Playmates". Danni felt her stomach do a somersault now. "He told me I c-could be his pet, and if I told anyone…." Danni paused, looking Optimus straight in the optics. "He'd kill me."

Optimus' optics widened in realization. She hadn't wanted to tell anyone because she was afraid. Afraid of being kill. Gently, he rubbed the thick of her back with a digit, and Danni felt herself leaning into it. "I will never that Skywarp lay a servo on you, I will never even let him speak to you again." Optimus said softly. "He can do you no harm now, you are protected."

Danni shook her head. "He said..when Roadbuster was running, that he'd come and get me." He voice quivered slightly, and Optimus sighed. He knew that Skywarp was not one to give up easily, and would come to get her, but he always did things when you least expected it. Optimus shook his own helm.

"He will not be able to get you, myself and the Autobots will protect you."

Danni just looked at him, unsure. But, she trusted Optimus, and nodded. She just hoped that Optimus was right, and that freak wouldn't come back and get her.

* * *

><p><strong>Dannis first real experience with a Decepticon :( And whats Skywarp got planned for Danni? And thank you for the reviews :) This is my first story and reviews make me happy :D<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

Now everything seemed to scare Danni. When a soldier accidentally bumped into her, she could give way to a small shriek, until she realized it was just one of the guys there to protect her. It seemed that the news had gone around about Skywarp, and everyone seemed a bit more protective of her when she was around. But she didn't want them to be like that around her, she just wanted to be treated as she normally would. Ignored. But now, everyone was so clingy to her, asking her how she was doing, if she was alright, asking about her constantly. It was just getting just plain annoying now. Danni slumped in her chair, playing with her food.

Surprisingly, the food here wasn't half bad. She had mashed potatoes, what looked like meat, and veggies. Everyone got the same food, same time each day. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. If you were feeling a bit peckish during the day when it wasn't a meal time, boohoo for you. If you missed a meal time, you'd have to go through the day starving, so everyone was there, eating up their food. Danni sat alone, as she liked it that way. She couldn't make conversations, and didn't know exactly how to join them, so it was better being alone.

She wasn't hungry, not after her nightmares. She'd barely eaten anything in several days her nightmares were so bad. They were of Chicago, or Skywarp chasing her. Both made her uneasy, and she felt on edge. Yawning, she took a fork full of mash potatoes, and put her tray in the trash, rubbing her eye as she walked towards her quarters. It was 11:30 P.M, and she was pooped. Entering the bedroom, she flopped down on her bed, and cocooning herself in her blankets, falling into a deep sleep.

**XXX**

_Danni ran through the battle field, looking frantically around for any sign of life, anything! When this battle had occurred, she didn't care, she just wanted to know if anyone had lived. Her bare feet felt the tough, burn ground, and looked at the fallen bodies of soldiers, Autobots, and enemies. But one stood out among the large group of bodies._

_Optimus._

_She could feel the tears forming in her eyes, and she carefully walked towards his lifeless corpse, not wanting to believe her eyes. His body was mauled apart, wires creating tiny sparks as they stuck out from his large wounds. Energon dripped from his torn body, and she put a hand on his faceplate, her shoulders sagging. A gentle moan alerted her, and she looked at his half opened optics, which flickered as he struggled to keep them online. "Da….Danni." He said weakly. Danni nodded towards him._

_"I'm here Optimus." She said quietly. He gulped for air, though he didn't need it._

_"Promise…..Promise me…you'll..never lose…hope." He said, and Danni bit her lip, trying to keep back her tears as she nodded. He gave her a small smile. "Do not cry little one…everything….everything will be alright."_ _His voice got fainter and fainter. "I will be returning to the Matrix….." He slowly closed his optics, and the color drained from his body. Danni shook her head, tears flying as she did so._

_"No Optimus! You're not gonna die!" She cried. "The world needs you! I need you!" She laid herself on his cold faceplate, tears sliding down the smooth metal. "You can't die…" She whimpered. Their only hope, her only friend, was gone. And she couldn't do anything about it. She was just a little helpless Human, insignificant and useless in every way. "You can't leave me Optimus….."_ _Her voice was lower than a whisper now, and she looked over Optimus to see a pair of blood red optics, narrowing at her. At first, she thought it was Skywarp, and felt enraged that the mech had killed him, but she felt her heart stop as she saw who this was._

_Megatron, Leader of the Decepticons._

_The humongous mech came from the shadows, face blank as he put his foot onto Optimus' chest, looking down at her with cold, unforgiving optics. Danni felt as her blood turned cold, and she shook with fear at the mighty mech. He stepped off Optimus, and walked towards her, reaching his servo out to her. It came closer and closer, until it blocked her vision._

_"**DIE**!"_

Danni felt her heart pounding as she jolted upright in her bed. Beads of sweat ran down her face, and she licked her lips to taste the saltiness of her tears. Another bad nightmare, the worst so far. But this one scared her more greatly then the others had. She hadn't had one dream where Optimus died, her other dreams didn't even involve him! And she had had the perfect picture of Megatron in her head, even though she had never even seen him, which scared her even more. Eyes widening, she jumped out of her bed, running through the hallways, down the corridors to the Autobots rooms.

She passed them, becoming more frantic as she didn't see the mech she was looking for. She had already passed Roadbuster, Leadfoot, Dino, and Bumblebee, yet still no Optimus! At the very last room, she darted into it, and looked at the berth, sighing in relief. Optimus was still there. Her heart rate quickened again though at another thought. Was he still alive? She scrambled onto the berth, having slight difficulty to climb onto Optimus' chest, and crawled towards his faceplate, looking at it nervously.

"Optimus?" She whispered, putting a hand on his large metal face. "Optimus, are you still alive?" She said, a little louder. But, it was enough to wake him. His optics snapped open, light slowly coming into them, and his body gave a small twitch. He looked around for the cause of his awakening, to find an overjoyed Danni on his chest. She smiled, and hugged his face. "You're alive! Optimus, I was so worried that you died!" She cried, nuzzling into the warm metal.

Optimus slowly brought himself upright in his bed, letting Danni slide down onto his lap. "Why would you be worried I went offline Danni?" He questioned, tilting his head to the side. "Nothing has happened to me." Danni shrunk slightly, playing with her hands. "Danni, what do you want to tell me?"

"I..I had a nightmare….where..you died.." She said quietly, crossing her legs. "I was scared that something happened to you in real life….." She admitted. Optimus looked down at her thoughtfully as her cheeks became slightly red with embarrassment. "I'm…I'm sorry that I woke you up, I was just, kinda scared-"

"Would you like to sleep in my berth with me tonight?"

Danni looked up at Optimus in surprise. The mech simply smiled down at her at her reaction. He knew from experience that this comforted Sparklings. When Bumblebee was a youngling, he would have Night Terrors, and come to Optimus to talk about them, and would sleep with him throughout the rest of the night. "Uh, s-sure." Danni said.

Optimus laid himself back down on his berth, and Danni crawled back onto his chest, curling up on it like a cat. It was pretty warm in that spot, but it actually was right above his Spark Chamber, so that made sense. Danni closed her eyes, the warmth, and the rhythmic sound of Optimus' spark beat, lulling her into a dreamless sleep. Optimus simply watched as her own heartbeat slowed, her breathing became calmer. He'd never really seen a Human fall asleep before, and was strange to him.

Cybertronians simply had to shut off their optics and go into recharge, but Humans way of sleeping was quite interesting to him. He watched the small Human sleep on his chest, chest rising and falling as she breathed in and out. He felt his own body needing some recharge of its own, and put his head down on the berth, offlining his optics. He felt the warm little ball on his chest all through his sleep, and had a rather calm recharge for once. It wasn't full of his thoughts on the war, it wasn't one where he would barely get any recharge because he was so tense, and it wasn't one where he was awoken by the sounds of Sunstreaker and Sideswipe arguing. It was quiet, the way they were at NEST.

For once in his long lifetime, Optimus felt peaceful, a sudden calm in their never ending war.

* * *

><p><strong>I just love doing these Optimus and Danni fluffy moments :) It makes me fell all warm and fuzzy inside. Hope you enjoyed chapter 6! And a special shout out to Lunar mist! As you requested that the chapters be up to 1,500 words, I have done so! Or, kinda did. This chapter of Earths Darkest Hour is 1,560 words!<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**I would just like to say, thank you reviewers and people who favorite my story :) It makes me happy to see your reviews and go onto your profiles to see my story there in your favorite list :)**

* * *

><p>Danni now spent most nights sleeping with Optimus, due to her reoccurring nightmares. Though some thought of it strange, they didn't say a thing. Danni just felt comforted by the mech, he kinda reminded her of her dad in a way. Strong, kind, and caring. Though, she felt a small family connection with each Autobot. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had turned out to be pretty cool, and were kinda like protective older brothers, along with Bumblebee, though she didn't know him that well since he was always around Sam. Ratchet was kinda like a grumpy uncle, the three wreckers, Leadfoot, Topspin and Roadbuster seemed like cousins, Dino though, he kinda scared Danni a bit, so she didn't know where to put him in a family.<p>

The young girl walked around outside of the building, just walking in a circle. She was bored out of her mind, and had nothing to do. There weren't a lot of things you could do with adults when you're ten years old. Most of the soldiers were playing poker right about now, Sam and Carly were with Bee, Sunny and Sides were probably messing with Ratchet, Dino was not an option right now, he was doing target practice, and would probably be there all day, she didn't bother with Ratchet or the wreckers for several reasons. Number One, Ratchet didn't like to play with her, and she almost got hit by one of his famous wrenches when Sideswipe came into his makeshift med bay. Number Two, the wreckers thought that play was wrestling, and she almost got squished when they started rolling on the ground fighting. And Number Three, well, she usually almost got killed every time she went to them.

Sighing, she looked around. A few soldiers walked around, having small chats about battle plans and the like. It seemed the only thing to talk about nowadays, how to rid the planet of the Decepticons. She had heard plans, at least bits and pieces, from the soldiers, and they ranged from gathering all the Autobots they could and charging over to their main base of operations, to getting Ratchet to build some mass doomsday device to destroy the 'Cons, however unlikely it was that the CMO would do such a thing.

A sudden clang made her freeze, and look around nervously.

**CLANG!**

Danni, shaking slightly, went over to where the sound had come from, taking light, uneasy steps towards it. It was around the corner of the metal building she had been circling, and she carefully poked her head out to see whatever was making the sound. Much to her surprise, a boy, looking slightly older then she was, was around the corner. He had grabbed his foot, and was jumping around, one legged, cursing under his breath silently. His own chocolate brown eyes met hers, and he dropped his foot, and darted towards her, putting a hand over her mouth. "Who told you to follow me?" He demanded. "Was it Mick? Oh, I swear if it was, I'm gonna pound his face in!" He growled.

Danni was still in shock of what she had found, and let out a scream, though it was muffled by his hand. She shook her head, and he cocked his head to the side. "It wasn't Mick? Wait, was it Oliver? Oh, I bet it was Tom!" He said. Danni felt his grip loosen, and wriggled free of his grip. Catching her breath, she looked at the guy as if he was a mad man, rambling on of who it could be that supposedly asked her to follow him.

"No one sent me to follow you." She said, and he looked up in surprise. "I live here, and who are you?" She questioned rather quietly. The guy looked at her strangely, and shook his head for a moment, and looked at her with an outstretched hand, an apologetic look in his eye.

"Sorry about that….I'm Zane, Zane Barren." He greeted, though Danni didn't take his hand. He brought it back slowly. He brought it back slowly. "Anyway…you, live here?" He questioned, and Danni nodded. "You sure? You know, this is where the army guys and Autobots stay, right? The Human camp is back there, like, all the way over there." He said, pointing behind him. "If you got lost or something-"

Danni shook her head. "No, I've been here for three weeks, I think I would know if I was lost."

Zane's jaw dropped. "T-Three weeks?" Danni just blinked at him as he brushed a hand through his blonde hair. "Man, I was just sent up here on a dare! But, you seriously live here? Like, with the Autobots?" Danni nodded. "That's totally awesome! How'd you get with them? What's it like being around them? Is it really cool like everyone said it was? Did you-?"

Zane stopped, eyes widening. Danni cocked her head to the side, and Zane slowly pointed past her, mouth slightly parting. Danni turned to see an angry looking Will Lennox, hand on his hip as his eyes narrowed at Zane. "Hey Danni," Will said, motioning her forward. "Who's that?" Will questioned, shooting a small glare towards the boy.

Danni looked at Will, then to Zane. "Oh, that's Zane. I was just talking to him Will, he said he came up here on a dare." Danni explained, and Zane face palmed, and sent a death glare to the girl as he cursed under his breath, though it was loud enough for Will to hear it. The man gritted his teeth at the teenager.

"Do you know where you just stepped kid?" Will said, coming forward as he towered over the boy. "Government property. And do you know the fines, the laws, of stepping onto this property without regulation?" Zane gulped, shaking his head. "'I sure wouldn't want to be in your place right now." Will came in close to his face. "If I weren't such as nice guy, I would put you in the brig right now, but since I am, I'm just gonna let you off with a warning," Zane looked very pale, pupils shrinking. "if I ever, I mean _ever_, see your face around here again, without permission, I won't be in such a good mood, and I'll throw you out to the 'Cons first chance I get."

Will didn't need to say anymore. Zane had gotten out of there in a second, maybe even less, and out of Wills sight. He snorted at this. He would never actually do anything like that, and he was pretty sure he wasn't allowed to throw the kid in the brig, and he barely even knew if they had one. Turning back to Danni, he put his hands on his hips, and she rocked on her heels. "I'm sorry Will…I knew I wasn't supposed to talk to him…I was just really bored and…" Danni sighed.

Will just smiled at her, patting her shoulder. "It's okay kiddo, you didn't do anything wrong." He gently strolling out of the side of the building, hand still on her shoulder. "Tell you what, since you're _so_ bored, how 'bout you and me go into that refugee camp over there." He offered, and Danni's eyes widened. In the three weeks she'd been here, she had never gone there, only looked on that hill with Optimus from time to time. After the incident with Skywarp, things had calmed down a little over there. And calmed down meant there were less crying and screaming people. But other then watching it from afar, she'd never actually been there.

Danni nodded, knowing it would give her a chance to talk to Zane. Will smiled, and walked out of their camp. Though, once they were at the barriers, Danni froze. Her feet wouldn't move, as if they were glued to the ground. She could feel her heart beat faster in her chest, and her breath became nervous and quick. She didn't know if it was her imagination or not, but she swore she could see Skywarp in the distance, waving at her with his sinister smile plastered on his gruesome face.

Will watched as she simply froze in place, standing like a statue. The only clue to think she wasn't a wax figure was her chest, which was going up and down quickly. Danni felt as the scab on her cheek and chin burned, and she let out a scream. Will looked at her in shock, and her cry had alerted the surrounding soldiers as they looked her way. Will touched her shoulder carefully, and her head snapped towards him, fear filling her eyes.

"Get away from me!" She cried, pushing him with all her might, though he only stepped away a few paces. Everywhere she looked, Skywarps face was there, blood red optics staring at her as his words repeated in her mind, but one screamed in her head louder than the others. _I'll kill you._ Danni grabbed her head in pain, shaking it. Will, concerned for her well being, grabbed her shoulders, but it just seemed to make it worse. Danni thrashed at him viciously. "NO! Don't touch me! Don't touch me Decepticon!" She shrieked.

Will, having no idea what was wrong with the child, put her over his shoulder, and ran inside. Danni just cried louder, screaming and beating his back with her fists, though it didn't hurt too bad. Running into Ratchets med bay, he found the medic with his tools, though he had dropped everything in alarm at the animal like sounds Danni was now making as she struggled to get away from Will. "What's wrong with the child?" Ratchet questioned, raising his voice to be heard over Danni.

"I don't know! We were walking to the barrier of camp when she just froze up!" Will explained as he struggled to keep the girl on his shoulder. "And then she went all psycho on me!" Ratchets optics widened, and he put out his servo to Will. The man put Danni on the CMO's awaiting palm, though she still screamed and wriggled, and Ratchet picked her up, placing her on a berth. Though Ratchet had no trouble holding the girl down, his audio sensors were aching from her screams. Transforming the tip of his digit into a needle, he slightly tightened his grip on Danni, just to keep her from wriggling her arms, and stuck the needle into her arm, letting the sedative into her system.

Danni's screams quieted down, and she went completely silent, and her head cocked to the side as her body went limp. Ratchet sighed in relief, laying her back down on the berth, and turned to a concerned looking Will, along with an alarmed Optimus behind the Human. "Ratchet," Optimus said, peering at the sedated Human on the berth. "What happened? I heard Danni's screams, what was wrong?"

"She simply had a flash back, a violent one at that, of Skywarp." Ratchet said with a small sigh. "I would suggest we keep her away from the barrier, for her well being and mine. It seems being there triggers the memories, and I do not want to be sedating her anytime tomorrow." He said, crossing his arms. "She will be fine, not to worry. Once the sedative wears off and she wakes up, she'll probably barely remember what happened." He explained.

Will nodded to the mech, and left through the large doorway. Optimus though, stayed, and walked towards the berth. He looked at her, sympathy filling his optics. He felt a small tug of his Spark, and heard the small patter of a heartbeat. It certainly wasn't his own, and he looked around, until his optics fell back onto Danni, and his Spark skipped a beat. He was forming a bond with the child. He heard the small beat of her heart in his head, and knew it was true.

He had only formed a bond a few times in his life, with his adoptive children and Elita, but, he never though it possible with a Human. He had barely even thought of it during the time he spent with Danni, it hadn't even crossed his mind, but now, they had grown so close, it had to be a bond. He closed his optics, just listening to the small sound of her heart.

He had grown so close to her, and was now afraid. Loved ones always got hurt in war, and he didn't want any harm coming to the Human, ever. He sighed. He would simply have to ignore this feeling, until it got too hard to bear any longer. Bottle it up inside like he had with any other emotions.

Until they came pouring out.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, I just want to say that Zane Barren will be returning into the story (Despite Wills warning), don't worry. Oh, and Zane is like, 14, maybe 15, you decide if you want him to be either which :)<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

Now things were even worse than they were after Danni's encounter with Skywarp. The soldiers were not only paying attention to her, but when she walked a couple feet away from the barrier, people would scramble over to her, and escort her back inside and talk to her, talking to her as if she was stupid in some way. She had told them it was a onetime thing, she swore it would never happen again, but no one believed her, not even Optimus. They said she couldn't control it, and would have be watched until they were sure. Now she felt more awkward than ever, constantly having someone looking over her shoulder, watching her.

She couldn't even go to the bathroom alone. They would stand outside the door, knocking on it after about a minute and asking if she was done yet, whether or not they had to go themselves. The only way Danni could be alone was if she went into hiding. Which she was currently doing. Danni wriggled around in the space, knowing no one would ever think of looking here. She had placed herself in the crack of one of the metal curves on Optimus' berth, where he placed his head. No one ever really came into Optimus' quarters, which was smart about it.

It was cold, and a little uncomfortable, but it was worth just spending some time alone. She heard their calls as they shouted her name, trying to find her. She watched through the crack she had gone through as they passed the doorway, unaware she was even there. She crawled back from the crack, not wanting to be noticed, however unlikely it might be. Though, she felt a tinge of guilt as she heard one voice.

Optimus'.

Although she didn't know it, the mech was worried sick about her. His bond was only forming, and he could not yet sense when her presence was near, so he had no idea what was going on. Thoughts, horribly dark thoughts, raced in his helm of what could have happened to Danni. She could have been captured by the Decepticons somehow, even worse, captured by Skywarp. She could have ran away, for all he knew she could be miles and miles away. And that worried him the most. Not knowing. He did not know many things, like when they would win the war, which he worried about most, but this seemed more important than anything at the moment.

A group of soldiers gathered at his feet, saluting him quickly. "No sign of her Optimus! We've checked the barrier, a few troops have gone out to the immigrants camp to see if she somehow ended up there. The wreckers have gone past the barrier, just to make sure she didn't end up over there." He reported, and Optimus sighed. She'd been missing since this morning, and it was already past noon.

"Keep looking, we have to find her." Danni felt guilt now stabbing her, but she kept still. Not even Optimus would make her come out. The mech passed by the door, but just kept walking. She sighed in relief as the sounds of footsteps got fainter and fainter. They'd given up trying this side, and she slid down the edge of the smooth metal. But, as she did so, head had hit the side, making a very loud and irritating "Boink", noise. She rubbed her head slowly, cringing as she felt a small bump on the back of her head, and heard the pause of footsteps.

Danni gulped, and held her breath, though she knew it would do her no good. Whoever was there had noticed the noise, probably knew it was her. The footsteps entered the room, and slowly got closer, until they stopped right in front of her hiding place. A small and soft whirr came from outside the crack, and she could see the baby blue optic peering in to look straight at her. Knowing staying in her would just cause her more trouble, she sighed, and climbed out of the crack, landing with a thump on the hard metal surface.

Looking up, she saw the face of Bumblebee, who cocked his head to the side at her. She examined his faceplate for a moment, taking it in. She'd never seen the scout up close before, and now noticed that he really didn't have any mouth. Weird. Shaking it off, she gulped nervously, waiting for him to scold her and give her some kind of punishment. But he said nothing, just blinked at her as she blinked at him. "A-Aren't you going to say something?" She questioned.

_"You get the first say commander!...Why don't you two make up and apologize?" _His voice went from a hard and gruff army man, to a soothing therapy show guy.

Danni sighed. 'I'm….I'm sorry I hid from you guys….I just wanted to be alone, just for a little while, without someone breathing down my neck for once…" She said with a sniffle. "It wasn't my fault…I didn't mean to do it…and now everyone thinks I'm some kind of crazy…" She said quietly, and Bumblebee looked at her with sympathetic optics. "I just freaked out, I was just scared…and now, whenever I pass by anyone, they give me a funny look, they get up out of their seats and follow me to wherever I'm going…" She put her head on her knees. "I can't go to the hill with Optimus, I can't barely even go outside without someone pushing me back indoors…" She closed her eyes, trying to hide her tears. "All I wanted was to have some privacy."

_"Every little thing, is gonna be alright!" _Bumblebee said, snapping his fingers. Danni wiped her nose with her sleeve, and smiled at him with a giggle. _"I'm sorry!...we can't….leave…You?...Alone!...enough." _He said.

Danni looked down for a moment at the pale metal, and gave a small sigh, nodding her head. "It's…..it's okay. I guess I sorta understand." She said with a small shrug. With one last sniffle, she closed her eyes, and opened them to the Bumblebees servo reached out to her. She got up, and hugged his digit. Bumblebee smiled, or would have if he had a mouth, and curled his own palm over her back in his own hug.

**XXX**

Optimus sighed, looking out onto the horizon. Danni had been found, yet the wreckers had not yet returned, and it worried him. The soldiers hadn't really bothered to check if they were alright. A Decepticon would have to be completely mad to take on three wreckers, the fiercest and well known of all the Autobots, all on their own.

"Optimus."

The mech didn't turn to see who it was, he already knew. "Why have you been gone so long Leadfoot? It is nearly sunset." He remarked, optics looking at the rapidly setting sun. "You know no one is to be out during the night." He heard a grunt from one of them. "Leadfoot, is something the matter?" Optimus questioned at the sudden silence. They were never this quiet.

"We found a someone outside the perimeter Optimus, I think you'll want to know who it is." Leadfoots voice wasn't strong, nor cocky as it usually was, but it seemed drained in a way.

Optimus turned, and his spark nearly stopped. His face twisted in anger, metal teeth grinding against eachother. Of all their enemies, had to be him. Held between Topspin and Roadbuster, was the Decepticon he loathed the most. The Decepticon he had even though wasn't mad enough to take on their wreckers alone. The one that had killed his Sparkmate. The one that had hurt Danni.

"Skywarp."


	9. Chapter 9

"Why, Optimus, if it isn't you." Skywarp said causally.

"Why are you here Skywarp?" Optimus growled. The mech didn't seem to notice him though, looking at the camp only a few feet away from them, a sinister spark in his optic. Optimus narrowed his own optics at the 'Con. The wreckers noticed this look, and Topspin snarled at him, slapping his faceplate with a free servo. "_Why_ are you here?" Optimus questioned again.

"Oh, I just came to check up on my old friend Danni." He said, and Optimus' optics flared with outrage. "I heard what I did to her, and wanted to see her suffer myself." Optimus, anger boiling inside him, punched him in the gut, though he seemed unfazed by it. He simply laughed maniacally at Optimus, who took a step back. Memories of Elita's death flashed by him, and the wreckers were shocked by Optimus' anger. They'd never seen him like this, so filled with rage and hatred.

"You Pit spawned slagger!" Optimus snapped, and the three wreckers optics widened. "How dare you come near here again! How dare you even say her name! After what you've done, I should kill you right now." Optimus brought out his blade, brining it towards his neck, though Skywarp didn't look the least frightened. "But that would be the easy way out." His blade retracted, and air vented out of him. "You will die the hard way. _Slowly_. As you made Elita suffer, as you made Danni suffer, I will make you suffer for your injustice." Optimus turned his back on the horrible mech. "Take him to the brig."

Leadfoot nodded, and grunted to Topspin and Roadbuster, the five moving back towards camp. Optimus' optics closed for a moment, and he breathed out heavily. He was an Autobot, he fought for justice, independence, and only used violence when necessary. He believed that everyone could be given a second chance. But this mech, he didn't deserve a second chance. He didn't deserve to _live_. He'd taken so much from him already, had hurt him in more ways one could imagine.

He had killed Elita right in front of his own optics.

**XXX**

_Optimus strained against the chains that held him, trying to break free. He would not be held prisoner by a Decepticon! He would never tell them the information they wanted, and he knew sooner or later Rodimus and the other Autobots would come to his rescue. Optimus stopped struggling, wanting to save his energy, and looked straight ahead to see Skywarp strolling out of the shadows, hands behind his back. "Well well well Optimus, I see you've given up." He came up close to his faceplate. "Now, peacefully tell me the information I'm looking for, and I will set you free."_

_Optimus looked at him, and spit some energon in his faceplate. "When the Pit freezes over." He said almost calmly._

_Skywarp simply smiled devilishly."Oh really? Well, let's see what your little friend thinks of that." Skywarp looked over his shoulder. "Bring her in." He ordered to the darkness. The mech stepped out of Optimus' way, revealing the two Decepticon soldiers coming into the room. They didn't scare Optimus, but who they held between their arms made him gasp in horror. Elita could barely stand, battered and energon dripping from her wounds and dents. The soldiers just dropped her on the floor, and she couldn't even stand on her knees, just fell limp._

_Optimus struggled even harder, trying to reach out for her. "Elita! Elita speak to me Elita!" He cried. The femme only looked to Optimus with weary optics, energon slipping out from the side of her mouth. She only let out a small croak in pain, and Optimus watched in horror as Skywarp prowled around his Sparkmate. "Elita! Elita!" Optimus called out her name, his voice becoming hoarse. _

_"Optimus…." She whispered, optics filled with fear. "Help….." Skywarp came in front of her, and raised his clawed servo, swiping her cheek. Elita flew to the other side of the dark room, and Optimus roared in anger. Skywarp smiled at him toothily, and dragged Elita back into Optimus' sight, and paused._

_His optics widened, and he looked at Optimus with a dark smile. "Say goodbye Optimus." He hissed, and lunged at Elita. Everything went silent at that moment. Optimus couldn't believe his optics, and his spark broke in half at the sight. Skywarp had his talons pierced right into Elita's Spark Chamber, and her eyes went wide with shock from the attack. Skywarps face twisted with dark happiness, and he twisted his servo, still inside her chest, and snapped it back out, a blue glowing ball in his hand. _

_Her own Spark._

_Optimus watched, helpless, as Elitas body went completely limp, colorless. Her optics showed no more light, they were gray and lifeless, glazed with death. Skywarp ignored her dead corpse, and looked at the flickering Spark in his servo. Optimus didn't look at Skywarp as he crushed her Spark in his hand, just looked at the body of his beloved. She was so innocent, she full of love for all. Now, she was gone._

_And a part of him had died with her._

**XXX**

Optimus sighed heavily at the remembrance of his Sparkmate. He would hold that grudge over the mech forever, for as long as he lived. He could never forgive him of what he had done, he could not bring Elita back with the Allspark or the Matrix, she had gone up to the Well of All Sparks already. Sometimes, in his recharge, he could hear her whispering over and over, _Optimus, help me._ He would avenge Elita in a way, any way he could.

He stopped a few feet away from the camp, and touched the side of his helm.

_-Major Lennox, come in-_

_-What's up?-_

_-Arm your men, and meet me at the edge of Base-_

_-Can do- _

Optimus disconnected the Comm, and looked behind him to see a smiling Skywarp. "Oh, what am I to do? I can't fight against a few puny Humans!" He said in a high pitched voice, and Roadbuster kneed him in the stomach, winding him. Optimus ignored the mechs remark, and turned back to the camp to see all of their men lined up, weapons aimed at the 'Cons head. Snipers were on the roof, laying on their stomachs, and they had out some of the weapons Que had made them before he had passed. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker stood firm, all of their weapons out, Dino snarled at him, and Ratchet looked away from the mech, too disgusted by the sight of him.

Everyone seemed to be there, all except Bumblebee. But, that didn't matter right now, not really anyway. Optimus walked in, the trio behind him as they tensed their grip on the prisoner. Skywarp simply looked down at the humans, seeming to make death plans for each and everyone he saw. They went to the back with no trouble, where the large brig was. They went into the underground tunnel leading to it, and Topspin and Roadbuster threw Skywarp into the large cell, locking it tightly. Optimus nodded towards the Human soldiers, who went back up to the surface at this.

Optimus looked towards the wreckers. "Go, I want to talk to him." The three nodded, and went up the tunnel, following behind the Humans. Optimus turned back to Skywarp, who leaned against the wall of his jail. "Why did you return here Skywarp." Optimus growled. The mech simply narrowed his optics at him. Optimus went up to the bars of the cell, grabbing Skywarp by the collar. "Answer me!"

"Two reasons." Skywarp said, and Optimus pushed him away. "One, as I told you, I wanted to see the little flesh bag writhe." Optimus grinded his teeth at this. "And number two, Megatrons orders. He wants that Human, he knows your close to it. We first looked at that Witwicky kid, but once our seekers saw you with that organic all the time, we knew she was the prime target." Optimus optics widened, and Skywarp snorted. "You were surprised? I would expect more from the, "Oh so Mighty Optimus Prime." He sneered. "But we'll get her Optimus. While I'm stuck in here, the Decepticons are making plans, just waiting to strike you right where it hurts."

Optimus turned away from him. "You'll never get her. Your locked in tight, there's no way you could ever get out. Your plans will never work." Optimus spat.

"Oh, but what if I intended to be caught? We could be anywhere Optimus, at any time. What if this is part of my plan? How would you ever know?" Optimus shook his head. He was trying to mess with him. He began walking away, shaking his head. "And I promise, I'll make Danni's torture as painful as Elitas."

Optimus' fists tightened into a ball. What he wouldn't give to offline the fragger right now. But, as he said, he would make him suffer, not just die quickly and easily. Optimus looked over his shoulder, glaring at Skywarp. "You will not touch a hair on her head, or you will not have a servo to touch her with." Optimus threatened, and turned away. "In fact, you won't have anything to hurt her with. I'll dismantle you and use your parts for target practice if you even look at her."

Skywarp went silent, and Optimus walked back through the tunnel, feeling tense as he got back to the surface. Having Skywarp in their camp unnerved him, and he now felt more compelled to protect Danni now more than ever. Optimus looked to the side to see Bumblebee, looking very concerned. Optimus noticed Danni on his shoulder, looking very confused.

She didn't know.

But Bumblebee did. He looked at Optimus, emitting small whirrs as his optics flicked from him, to Danni, and to the tunnel. "Optimus, what's down there?" Danni questioned, cocking her head to the side. Optimus just looked at her. She had the same innocence and love as Elita, and he hoped that Skywarp wouldn't take her away from him as well. When he didn't answer, she looked to Bumblebee. "What's down there Bee?" But the scout didn't answer either, both just looked at her.

"Danni." Optimus said with a sigh. "Skywarp is down there."

Danni's face twisted with horror. The mech that scared her the most was in there camp. Where she felt safe, away from the 'Cons. Her safe haven had been shattered in that one moment. She would be living the nightmare, knowing that the mech would be there. Feeling sick and dizzy, she almost fell right of Bumblebees shoulder as she fainted.


	10. Chapter 10

"What do you mean he's been captured!"

Starscream cringed slightly at the anger voice of his master. "I do not know master! He simply said he was going to direct the troops!" He explained. Starscream had had nothing to do with the capture! He had just found out about it when Megatron had confronted him just now. "I had nothing to do with it Lord Megatron! I swear to the Allspark!" He said.

Megatron scowled at him. "I thought I told you to keep an optic on him!" He raised his servo, just about to whack his second in command, who went on his knees by now. But instead, he smiled, and recoiled his servo. "This could prove promising…." He looked at Starscream with a snarl. "Gather the troops!" Starscream bowed to him, and began walking away. "And call Skywarp," Megatron added, turning towards the ledge of the warship.

"Get his location, get the Human, and gather the troops."

**XXX**

Danni's head hurt as if someone had pounding a boulder against it, and she groaned as she turned on her side. The surface she was on was cold and hard, and it hurt her back. Opening her eyes slowly, she looked around. Ratchets med bay. She knew that because Ratchet was currently rearranging his tools. Sitting upright, she clutched her head. Wait, why was she here again? Memories flooding back to her, she looked at Ratchet, who had noticed her awakening. "Ratch, I had the worst nightmare, Optimus told me that Skywarp-"

"It wasn't a nightmare."

Danni looked at him in disbelief. "W-What?"

"Skywarp is being held in the prison."

Danni blinked. "Oh. Well, I think I'm gonna faint again." Danni was just about to fall over back onto the med bay berth, when ratchet rushed over, putting a servo under her, lifting her back up. He did not want to have deal with an unconscious Human again, not in the same day. Danni looked at him, and crossed her arms. "Fine, I won't faint again." She said, and shuddered. "But, I'm still scared." She looked to Ratchet with frightened eyes. "Is he really down there Ratchet? Really truly?" She questioned. Ratchet just sighed, and nodded. Danni shook her head at him. "No, no he can't be there…Optimus would never let him…"

Ratchet gently stroked her back. "Danni." Ratchet said, and she looked up to him. "He's there, I'm sorry." Danni looked at Ratchet for a moment, and cupped her head in her hands. _No…He's lying…He's not there….._She thought. "Optimus has ordered me to keep you in the med bay till further notice." He said. Though he did not want the child to be cooped up with him, and he certainly didn't want her around and under his feet, but, he had had no choice, Primes word was law.

Danni turned away from Ratchet, putting her head on her knees. Skywarp was so close, and he had said that he was going to get her, kill her. She felt unnerved by his presence, nervous and scared without Prime around. He comforted her most, and she needed him. Where was he? It didn't matter, she couldn't leave anyway.

Ratchet, noticing her distress, looked at her with a small smile. "Hey, a new Autobot came." Danni's head shot up at the statement. Ratchet looked over his shoulder. "First Aid! Come out here!" He called. Danni cocked her head to the side. Autobots always had the weirdest names. Danni looked past Ratchet to see a red and white mech, slightly taller than Ratchet. He smiled down at Danni, though he looked at her curiously. Ratchet patted the mechs shoulder plate. "He came last night, we found him a few yard away from camp." He explained.

First Aid leaned over to look at Danni, cocking his head to the side. "You Humans look so…squishy." He said, and looked to Ratchet as Danni tried to hold back a bit of laughter. "I've never seen anything so…fleshie." First Aid gave Danni a poke in the ribs, examining her. He was a medic after all, he was interested in her organic presence. Ratchet just shook his head at his friend, and walked away.

"Danni, I must speak with Optimus, I'm leaving you with First Aid." He was as he exited. Danni looked at First Aid, legs crossed, as First Aid looked at her. They simply sat there staring at eachother. When Danni blinked, First Aid would blink. Finally, Danni squirmed uncomfortably under the mechs stare. He cocked his head to the side again, and looked around, trying to find some conversation.

"I have heard much about you young one." First Aid said, and Danni looked away for a moment. She probably seemed like some freak from what he had heard. "Optimus thinks much of you." Danni's eyes widened at this, and she looked back to him in surprise. Optimus had talked about her? First Aid smiled at this reaction. "Yes, on our way back, he talked a lot about you. Said you meant a lot to him."

"He…He really said that?" Danni questioned, and First Aid nodded. She didn't think that she meant anything to Optimus. She looked up to him, everyone did, but she was important to him? Yes, she spent a lot of time with him, and she did feel comforted by him, but she didn't think he thought anything of her. But, now that she thought about it, why would he even spend time with her if he didn't think anything of her?

A loud blast made Danni break away from her thoughts, and she looked towards the door in panic. First Aid brought out his blaster, and picked up Danni, placing her on his shoulder. Danni cowered on his shoulder plate as she heard battle cries and more explosions, and they seemed to be getting closer and closer. Sunstreaker ran into the room, blaster out and a few dents on his chest plate. "Get down!" He cried, and ducked. First Aid brought Danni back into his hand, cupping his other over her for protection, and ducked just in time as a blast of smoke entered the room.

Danni clutched her chest as the smoke burned her throat, coughing as she gasped for air. First Aid saw this and panicked, and ran towards the, creating a hole. Fresh air rushed in the room, and Sunstreaker began screaming Cybertronian at First Aid, though he pointed his ion blaster at the door. Danni looked through the hole in fear. It reminded her too much of Chicago, except the people were fighting back. The soldiers shot at the Decepticons, though it didn't do much good. The Autobots tackled, punch and kicked the 'Cons, doing some damage. But there were so many, they couldn't fight them all off at once.

Optimus looked to the other Autobots, raising his weapon. "Retreat!" The Autobots and soldiers ran out of the camp, and First Aid just made the hole larger, and jumped out, Sunstreaker following behind, and ran after his team, Danni cupped under his servo. But she could see through a small crack in his servos the small village of people running for their lives, leaving their temporary homes. The Decepticons simply stayed at their, now in flames, camp, shouting their victory cries.

Optimus looked over his shoulder, watching as the Decepticons fired at the fleeing Humans. More lives he could have saved, dying right before his optics. _We flee like cowards! Why do we not fight the Decepticons and show that the Autobots still stand strong?_ A voice in the back of his helm snapped. But, he knew that would not be right, they would have to live to fight another day, a day when they are ready. But this would just make it harder for them to be ready for that day. They had nowhere to go now, they had nothing to look for. No government and no military meant no home.

Optimus stopped running when their, former base, was barely a small dot on the horizon. Most of the people had been unharmed, maybe a few bruises and a couple gashes, but nothing fatal. Ratchet was examining a man with a broken arm, and First Aid had set Danni down to look for anyone with any serious injuries, even though he had barely any experience with Humans, and he had been on this planet for barely a day, he would at least try to help.

Danni looked at the ground, shaking her head. Another one of her homes destroyed by those…those murderers. A hand was placed on her shoulder, and she looked up to see a Zane. He was dirty, sweaty, and had a cut on his forehead, and his brown eyes were filled with grief. "Hey Danni. How's it goin'?" He asked in a weak voice. She just shrugged, and he placed his hands back into his jean pockets. "I feel the same way. But it's okay, everything's gonna be just fine. The Autobots will figure something out, they always do." He said reassuringly.

Danni sighed. "I don't know if they can figure out something now Zane. They've got nowhere to go, we've got nowhere to go, we're just sitting ducks right now." She looked at Optimus with dull eyes. "Tons of soldier died out there, and since the governments gone into hiding, we can't just poof up some out of nowhere."

Danni looked back at Zane, who had the same dull look. "We're as good as dead right about now."

**XXX**

Megatron slammed his fist on the metal table. "You didn't find her? I ordered you idiots to find the meat bag and capture her! Not come back to this ship empty handed and tell me you couldn't find her!" He shrieked at Skywarp, making the Decepticon soldiers behind him cringe. "How dare you return here and think you can just ask for forgiveness." He growled.

But Skywarp kept a straight face. "But Lord Megatron, we raided the Autobots camp, they had nowhere to go now, we could easily take them out." He said. Megatron just snarled at him.

"No! You were supposed to find the Human and implant the chip, yet you didn't! You are becoming as low as Starscream Skywarp! You've failed me yet again!" He snapped, and stalked away. "You'd better find them, and make sure you have the girl, or I will make sure that that will be the last mistake you ever make Skywarp!"

* * *

><p><strong>I finally brought in First Aid :) I meant to bring him in a few chapters ago, but didnt feel like it until now. Lazy me :)<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

Danni's feet hurt, she was covered in blood, sweat, and dirt, and she was so hungry she was ready to eat the rock she was kicking. She had taken off her shoes because it became too hot, and her feet were already slipping out of them because of her sweat. Everyone had followed her example, and had taken off their shoes as well. The soldiers and other men, including Zane, had taken off their shirts, panting and fanning themselves with their stinky clothes. The woman just had to bear through the heat, though Danni had been smart and had ripped her jeans down to shorts. The Arizona heat was unbearable, and a few people had already fainted, being carried by soldiers or one of their friends or relatives who were strong to carry them.

Danni walked along side Optimus, who didn't seem to mind the heat. Probably because he had AC in him. Danni panted like a dog, tongue out as she licked her dry lips, though her tongue couldn't provide much saliva since she hadn't had anything to drink in two and a half days. Optimus looked down at her, concern in his optics. He knew that Humans couldn't survive long without food and water, which made him wary of the Humans behind him. He needed to find them some water, and fast.

Looking to Ratchet, he saw the same concern in his optics. He knew he would be the same, he was a medic after all. Danni's knees became wobbly like gelatin, and she collapsed, still panting as she gulped down what was left of her saliva, which tasted a lot like sand. Optimus quickly bent down, letting her grab a digit to help her back up. "Are you alright?" He questioned, voice laced with concern.

Danni nodded drowsily. "I'm, I'm just fine. Don't…Don't worry about me." She said, walking on. Optimus had enough on his plate right now, he didn't need another Human fainting. She stood up straight, and tried to walk tall, though her burning feet and trembling knees wouldn't allow it. Slumping back over, she licked her lips once more, and looking ahead, her eyes widened at the sight. An oasis, a large pool of water, just waiting there. But Danni shook her head. Some of the others had already had their mirages, thinking the sand was an entire ocean, and Ratchet had announced them all crazy, and were passed out by now.

But, Optimus pointed ahead, right towards the oasis. "Let us stop there." He said in a loud voice. Danni didn't even need him to say that, and well, neither did the other Humans. They ran towards it, and Danni went on her knees, lapping up the water like an animal as she splashed some in her face. It was so cold and refreshing, it was the best water she had ever tasted! She looked up to see the soldiers taking their caps and filling them with water, splashing it down on their bodies. Now, everyone was wet, happy, and dirty. _Extremely _dirty. Even the water couldn't wash off most of the dirt, but it did help with the blood and sweat.

Danni took several more gulps of the water, and knelt back, water dripping from her chin. Her made a noise that sounded slightly like a grizzly bear growling, and she clutched it. Great, now she was hungry after she was just quenched her thirst. And she didn't seem to be the only one. A chorus of rumbles erupted from the others, and they rubbed their empty stomachs. The Autobots looked down at the Humans strangely once the loud noise came to their audio receptors. They had plenty of Energon for themselves, most of it placed in their subspaces, so they wouldn't go hungry, but they still had to feed the Humans, or at least find something edible for them to eat.

The small oasis only provided water and shade from the small trees around it, and that seemed about it. No food was for miles as far as he could see, not even a single thing, there were only small desert animals, scampering across the sand. They would have no food, unless…

"Danni, catch a rodent."

Danni looked up at the mech with a cocked eyebrow. "Excuse me?" She said, water dribbling from her lower lip. Optimus simply pointed towards the ground at a small desert mouse skidding across the sand, burrowing back into its hole.

"Catch a rodent, make a fire, and eat it." Optimus directed. She just stared at him a while longer, until she nodded, and got up from the pool of water, walking over to the mech, head high as she walked past the mech. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of a small mouse, and she could already smell the thing over the fire, fat and juicy and all roasted up. Danni's mouth watered at the thought, and she was more intent on catching the creature every passing second.

Danni licked her lips, and went down into a predatory crouch, staying still until it came closer and closer, and stopped to sniff the air. Danni pounced, and landed on the small creature, hands cupped over it. _Well, that was easy._ She thought as she smiled, feeling a small warmth in her stomach. She felt a painful sting, and she recoiled in pain, looking at her hand. The little thing had bitten her! Her palm had a bead of blood running down it, dripping onto the sand. She snarled at the thing, who seemed to be laughing at her, how he just stopped a few feet away from her, squeaking insanely as he raised his whiskered nose towards the air.

Now this was personal.

Danni pounced on the mouse again, though missed by half an inch, the mouse scampering away again to laugh at her. Danni's eyes flared with anger, and while the little animal was laughing it's little tail off, she pounced once again, and caught the little rascal in both hands, standing up as she looked at it with triumph. "Who's laughing now?" She mocked.

"You do know it can't talk back, right?" Danni turned around to see Zane, head cocked to the side as he stared at her strangely. She simply shrugged, and showed him the struggling mouse with a smile. Zane looked at the mouse, than back at her. "Uh, okay, congratulations. You caught a mouse." He said, giving her a small thumbs up. "So what?"

"Duh! We catch, we cook it, we eat." She said simply, giving the mouse a small squeeze with her thumb, as she was getting extremely annoyed with its constant scratching, and her hand was getting itchy from its rough fur. "Optimus told me to catch one, and I did." She said enthusiastically. Zane cocked his head to the side at her excitement. Was she proud of herself in some way? Did Optimus mean that much to her or something? Shaking his head, he shooed the thoughts off, only to see that Danni was no longer in front of him, but next to Optimus, tapping the side of his leg.

The mech looked down at the Human, who showed him the mouse. "I got it Optimus." She said. The mech bent down with a smile, and belittled all of his strength to gently pat her on the head. Zane really didn't see why he seemed proud in a way. It was just a mouse, a measly little thing at that. They'd need to catch like, twenty more to feed everyone there. The one she caught would probably feed maybe two people, and one of the people who ate it would get a smaller bit then the other, and they'd probably get into some kind of fight, since it was hot, everyone was tired, and everyone seemed cranky right now.

So what was Optimus, Leader of the Autobots, Holder of the Matrix of Leadership, who actually _died_ once before for them, proud about? He was much much _much _higher than her entire being, yet he was proud? It frazzled Zanes mind, yet he simply shrugged it off, and went over to start a fire. Snapping some twigs off of the trees, and rubbed them together. Almost immediately, the flame appeared, and steadily grew larger and larger until it seemed just about right. Zane looked over his shoulder to see Danni, the mouse now dead and skinned by Will. Zane took the mouse, and began to roast it slowly, and the smell soon attracted the others, who stared hungrily at the food at it began to become brown.

By the time Danni had gotten mice for everyone, the sun had gone down and it had become slightly darker. The fire blazed as people cuddled together by the fire, enjoying their roasted desert mouse. Zane leaned against a tree, slowly drifting into sleep. It had been a long day of walking, and he was actually quite happy, his tummy was warm and full, he was pretty clean, his mouth didn't taste like sand, and it was getting cooler as the sun went lower under the horizon. Zanes eyes widened as he felt a something against his arm, and looked over to see Danni, who was currently yawning as she snuggled into his arm.

She had had a long day as well, catching all those mice. Her hands hurt because those little bastards had bitten her hands up, leaving scabs on her palms and fingers, and her arms and legs hurt from pouncing on them. But, she was content as Zane was, a full belly, and a warm fire to lay by as the temperature went down. Right now, she was too tired to even remember the Decepticons, actually, she barely even remembered what had just happened barely two days ago.

"Zane," She said drowsily, and he looked down at her with tired eyes. "I'm tired." Zane shrugged, shuffling around in his place. There was a small silence, and Zane began to close his eyes. "Zane," He looked down at her in annoyance now. He was tired, he just wanted some sleep. "will you be my big brother?" She questioned, now cuddling her way into his chest. Zane looked down at her in surprise, then back at his friends, Mick, Oliver, and Tom, who were all piled on top of eachother, snoring loudly. At least they didn't have to see this.

He brought his arm over her. "Sure, I'll be your big brother. Whatever you want," He smiled, and ruffled her hair a bit. "Little sis." Danni smiled sleepily, and with one last yawn, fell asleep against him. Zane followed her example, and fell asleep instantly, head tilting over Danni's.

Optimus smiled as he watched from afar, a smile on his faceplate. He felt warmth in his Spark at Danni's happiness, and he felt the same drowsiness as the Humans. The Autobots had had their energon already, and were full as the Humans were, and were ready for a good recharge. Optimus sat down carefully, trying hard not to wake the sleeping Humans, and closed his optics, falling into slightly troubled sleep, but otherwise, he was satisfied. No Decepticons by far, and the Humans they were with were safe. He did not feel peaceful though, dreams of war slipped into his thoughts as he fell into recharge, and he knew, even then, it would be a rough night.


	12. Chapter 12

The group had moved away from the oasis, and it was turning into a living hell. Every town they passed had been destroyed, bodies everywhere and people curled over their fallen friends or family, weeping. Most though cowered at the presence of the Autobots, hiding underneath the rubble as they watched them pass, shadows covering them. Though, most booed them away, crying that they had lost, they had failed, that it was their fault. But they ignored them, though those words hit them hard. They were trying so hard to figure out what to do, and their criticism didn't help at all.

But, the Humans that followed the Autobots had hardened, they were no longer weak, hungry, and sad. They were strong, the constant walking strengthening their muscles, how they had to hunt their food made them more animalistic, though the Autobots kept them Humane. Now Danni knew what survival of the fittest meant. They had to bury several elderly in the past week, though no one wept, no one curled up in the corner. Everyone grieved silently for them, and kept going.

No one laughed anymore, no one cried, no one barely showed any emotion, all except pain. Danni walked beside Optimus, as usual, standing tall. She'd grown accustomed to the heat, no longer panting or fainting. Her feet burned from the hot ground, but she ignored it. Her head pounded, but she kept her thoughts busy to forget it. She suddenly stopped, and looked around. Something wasn't right, she could feel it. The hairs on her back rose, and Optimus noticed her tenseness, and looked down at her curiously. "Danni, is everything alright?" He questioned, looking to the others to stop.

"I don't know, I have this feeling." She said, eyes narrowing at their surroundings. "It feels like, like…" The ground began to tremble under their feet.

"_DECEPTICONS_!"

Danni turned, eyes widening. Her feeling had been correct, all was not right. A giant metal like worm was headed right towards them, leaping in and out of the ground as it quickly got nearer and nearer. Screams of fear filled Danni's ears, and she began to run, everyone behind her. "It's Shockwave!" Sideswipe cried, trying hard not to step on the Humans running past him. Optimus looked at the Decepticon with narrowed optics as the worm rose, revealing the 'Con underneath the metal.

But, instead of looking at the Autobots, his red optic went right towards the Humans, and Optimus knew who he was after. Danni. The metal covered him once more, and he went back underground, right under their feet. Optimus ran as fast as he could, trying to reach Danni before Shockwave did. The metal worm erupted up from the Earth, separating the Humans from Danni, who ran in front of the crowd. "Danni!" Optimus roared, transforming as he speed towards her.

No Decepticon would get her, not on his watch.

Though, it seemed what he told himself was not to be true. Shockwave let the metal fold away from his true form once more, and swiftly reached down to grab the girl in his servo. Danni felt the cold metal claws wrap around her, and it felt nothing like Optimus touch. He was gentle, and his servo was warm, but this hold was squeezing the life out of her, and it was cold, much to cold. She wheezed, and let out a scream of pain. The 'Con had just cracked one of her ribs. Shockwave looked at her, then at Optimus who was speeding towards him as he let out a battle cry.

Before Optimus even reached him, he let the metal engulf them. It was extremely dark in there, Danni couldn't see a thing, but it appeared Shockwave could. Danni knew he was tunneling back underground by the sound from outside, and fear struck her. Optimus couldn't save her. No one could. She was dead. What would they do to her? Torture her? Kill her? But, another thought made her heart stop. Skywarp. He would get her. He was neither caged, or demolishing another city, and she was defenseless, vulnerable without the Autobots to protect her. And he probably would want to see her, do whatever his sick mind intended for her.

"Shockwave to Megatron. Human captured." Danni's eyes widened at the cold, electronic voice. This was the Decepticon that was about to kill her in Chicago. It was ironic, that since he was about to kill her, he was leading her to her demise, though she would probably die by anothers hand. Danni felt her heart pounding in her chest, and she screamed as loud as she could for several minutes, non-stop. But, Shockwave had finally had enough of the Human, and the next thing she knew, something pricked her arm, and she conked out. But she knew what had happened. He'd sedated her because of her screaming.

At least she didn't have to watch as they entered the Decepticon Base.

**XXX**

Optimus couldn't believe his optics. He had felt her fear, and felt the intense pain when her rib had cracked. And now, he couldn't feel her, couldn't sense her. She was gone. His fists tightened into a ball, and he looked at the Autobots and Humans behind him. They looked at eachother, checking who was there. They didn't know who Shockwave had taken. But Optimus was focused on one Human right now, who frantically looked around, pushing past everyone. Zane. "Danni? Danni! DANNI!" He cried, looking around. His eyes finally laid on Optimus, and knew by the way the mech looked at him what had happened. "No, no no no no! She can't be gone!" He ran towards Optimus, looking at him straight in the optics. "O-Optimus…" His voice trembled in fear.

"She's gone….." Optimus' voice was distant as he looked towards the sky. He would find her. He would kill every Decepticon in his way. He would kill Skywarp. He knew the Decepticreep would want her, and would chop the mechs head right off if he touched her. He would save Danni.

He would avenge Elita.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the short Chapter :P Really tired right now. Just had a Basketball game and had our play performance yesterday, and the day before that...<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

Danni's head hurt, and she groaned, body tired. Opening her eyes drowsily, she saw the same darkness, but knew she was on the move. Memories flooding back to her, her eyes opened fully. She felt her rib, and gritted her teeth in pain. Man it hurt. Carefully sitting up, she looked around. She was no longer in Shockwaves grasp, so where was she? Reaching out, she felt a wall. The other side, more wall. It was some kind of box, with when Danni looked up she could see four small holes, providing her air. At least she knew that the Decepticons wanted her to live. For now.

The movement stopped, and Danni grabbed her side in pain from the slight swing of the box as whoever carried her came to a halt.

"Are you sure this is the correct Human? I don't want any mix ups you know." The voice sounded very masculine, but Danni sighed in relief. At least it wasn't Skywarps voice.

"I am certain. Genetics match the sample." Shockwaves voice made her cringe.

Danni felt herself being handed over to whatever mech, and gulped. What if he was as bad as Skywarp? What if he was worse? Danni looked up to see a red optic peering inside the hole. She quickly crawled over to the corner, trembling as the red light shined in. "I'm not gonna hurt you." He said softly. Danni was surprised by his soft tone, she had thought Decepticons could only speak with cold, scary voices. But he actually kinda sounded pretty nice. "I only bought you 'cause I'm a lonely mech." He said with a sigh. "My good friend recently offlined." Danni watched as the optic pulled away, and she brought her knees to her chest, feeling kinda sorry for him. It wasn't easy losing someone close to you…

"But, Human, my designation is Breakdown." He said, voice sounding suddenly firm. Danni didn't answer, she simply stayed silent. Or, at least she was silent to him. She put her head on her knees, crying. She wanted Optimus. No matter how nice this mech seemed, she wanted to get away from the Decepticons. She didn't want to be here at all. She was cold, in pain, and scared. She wished she had not ripped her jeans to shorts, because wherever this place was, it was freezing.

She heard the opening of a door, and all at once, the box was set down, and one of the dark walls came down, bringing in the dim light. Her eyes adjusted to see the face of Breakdown, his hand scooped over her as he dragged her out of the box. Danni looked around, wide eyed. It was actually pretty nice, like an apartment. It had a cabinet full of energon, a large berth, and in the corner near the berth, she saw what looked like a big dog bed, two bowls next to it. Immediately, she knew it was hers.

Decepticons really did think they were meant to be pets.

"This are my quarters, and over there is your space." He said, pointing out the obvious. "I hope you'll like your new home, but if you had any ideas of escaping, I got Shockwave to have a little chip installed." Danni's eyes widened as Breakdown went on about the home. Chip? Like a tracker device or something? She reached over to touch the back of her neck, and her blood ran cold. She felt a small square, right underneath her very skin. The chip. "Actually, Megatron was your first buyer, but declined when he found I wanted you. His only request was that chip be implanted. A few things you should know though, if you try to step out the front door, you'll get shocked by 100 volts of electricity." Breakdown said as if it something you'd hear everyday.

"Wha-What?" Danni croaked. Breakdown simply chuckled, and patted her head with a digit.

"Not to worry. I can turn it on and off if I want to take you out. You won't be stuck in here." Danni was still tense, but, like he had said, at least she wouldn't be cramped in the same room each day, at least till Optimus came to save her. Danni trembled all over, though Breakdown didn't seem to notice. His optics dimmed for a second, and he grabbed Danni, walking out the door quickly. "I almost forgot! Megatron wants to see you."

Danni could barely breathe. Megatron. The word struck fear into the hearts of all, and she was about to meet him. This was worse than her greatest fears. This was the worst nightmare anyone could ever have. As they came down another corner, Breakdown stopped at a large metal door. Danni's pupils shrank, and her breathing became rapid. When the door suddenly slide open, she was ready to die of fear. There, in a large metal throne, was Megatron, just as evil as she had ever imagined him.

"Breakdown, leave the Human at the entrance." His voice made her freeze. Breakdown did as Megatron had instructed, and set her down. "Now leave. I want to have a, chat, with the Primes pet." Breakdown left slowly, leaving the two. Danni could barely stand, knees wobbly and heart pounding in her chest. "Come closer." He directed, motioning her forward with a taloned finger. Danni could do nothing else, and timidly stepped forward towards him, stopping several feet away from him. He was so big, bigger than even Optimus himself. "So, this is what Optimus has been hiding from us." Megatron mused. "Tried to keep you off the radar when Skywarp told him about our plans for you." He said, sounding slightly bored. "Started trying to block your life signal with his own. What a fool."

Danni would have made a comment on that last part, but she knew better than to sass a Decepticon, or otherwise she would end up a giant bloody pancake, either that or just a big pile of ash. "I still can't comprehend why he would want something as puny as you. I thought it would be one of his best Human warriors that he would become attached to, not one that can barely defend itself." He growled, bending over her. "Well Human, are you not going to speak?" Megatron questioned.

Danni tried to swallow her fear, but it was so large she would have chocked on it. "M-Megatron." She managed to croak, though her voice trembled and was so quiet she could barely hear it herself. The Decepticon Leader chuckled at this, sitting back down fully on his throne.

"You are right to fear me fleshling." With that, he swiped down at her with his servo, letting her slide farther away from him. Danni let out another scream of pain, and clutched her leg. But, what she touched, made her gasp. Megatron didn't laugh at her pain, nor did he even let out a single sound. All was silent, until Danni looked down at her leg, fingers numb as she looked at what there was of her leg. Blue liquid, energon, flowed slowly out of small tubes of it. Wires, tubes, ripped cybernetic skin was all underneath her flesh.

Danni touched her chest, and could hear her heart pound, but knew what it was. A Spark. Like Optimus', like Megatrons, like every Autobot and Decepticon. What was she? Who was she? Nothing made sense anymore. She was just a Human, like the others, right? _Wrong_. She thought, fear in her eyes, or now, optics. Her eyes widened in realization. Her mother had had gray eyes, her father had had brown eyes, but Danni had had blue eyes. It hadn't made any sense, no one in her family had blue eyes, but she had passed it as nothing. She had always felt different, out of place, but had passed that as well. But, when she had been with Optimus, she felt like she fit in, like she was in her place. And now she knew why. She had been with her own kind.

Danni watched as the Human blood mixed with the energon, and she let out small gasps for breathe. Wait, Human blood? She wasn't Human, but she wasn't Cybertronian. She was something else. A freak. She felt dizzy, and that was for two reasons. One, she just found out she wasn't Human, and two, she was losing a lot of blood, er, energon, whatever it was she had. Before she passed out, she heard Megatrons voice.

"_Techno-Organic_."

**XXX**

Optimus wished Hound was here. The Autobots were tracking down Shockwaves trail, determined to find where they had taken Danni. Though just as Prime walked, an invisible force knocked him over, letting him straggle to get back up. The Autobots looked at their leader in shock, and Optimus looked grave. Danni was in trouble, he could feel her fear. But, something else was there. There was fear, confusion, and anger. What was happening to her? What were the Decepticons doing? If they had even touched her...

"Optimus, are you alright?" Dino asked, helping Optimus fully back to his feet. Though, Optimus didn't hear him, and looked towards the horizon.

"She's out there, she's in danger." He said, looking towards the Autobots, who tilted their heads in confusion. "Something's wrong though, something's not right." Optimus shook his head, trying to get away the feeling that was gnawing at his processer. "We must find her quickly." Optimus regained his full balance, and walked faster. He had to find.


	14. Chapter 14

Danni felt nauseas, laying there on a table, strapped down. She had quickly regained consciousness, though quick enough. Breakdown had put her in a cage, hurrying over to their medical officer, Hook. The mech scared her, looking through his tools, all very sharp and painful looking. "A very rare specimen never came across one." Hook said to Breakdown, who nodded. Hook picked up one of his tools, a rather large needle, and walked over to Danni, pricking her arm with it. She gritted her teeth as more energon-blood was taken from her body. Hook retracted, and went over to a microscope, examining the blood. "Hmm…interesting…"

Danni struggled, trying to break loose. Hook had been kind enough to fix her leg as best he could, and at least it looked pretty much normal, and had actually managed to fix up her rib slightly. She looked timidly towards the two mechs, who looked at a screen with Cybertronian writing on it. But, the more Danni looked at it, the more she learned. She scanned through the large paragraphs of what looked like gibberish. In her eyes, the words unscrambled from Cybertronian to English as she looked at them.

"A very exotic pet if you ask me." Breakdown said, crossing his arms with a small hint of pride in his voice. Danni rolled her eyes at this. They still thought of her as a pet. Danni rolled her eyes at this. They still thought of her as a pet. "Now I'm pretty glad I got her." Hook sent him a glare, and snarled at him.

"No. This is no pet. It must be examined. I have many tests I would like to run," Hook looked towards the screen, which had a full body scale of Danni. "First, I would just love to run a few tests on her weapons systems. They seem, very exceptional." He said, a sinister smile going on his faceplate. Danni's eyes widened. She had weapons? A whole system of them? And she hadn't even known? She felt the straps release her, and once again, she was in the clutches of Hook, walking out of his laboratory, and into a room next to it. It was dark, or at least darker than the others. There was a room separated by a wall of glass, so you could see inside. It was a testing room.

Hook opened the testing rooms door, and threw Danni in, locking it tightly. He went towards a large computer, and tapped on a few keys. "Fighting simulation activated." He said, and Danni looked around in fear. Three medium sized robots appeared, and prowled towards her, optics narrowing at her. Danni yelped in fear, trying to escape them. "Activating subjects weapons system."

Danni felt her body tremble, and felt a shock from the chip on the back of her neck. Her body went numb, and she looked down at her hands with a gasp. Her hand folded away, showing a glowing blaster as it heated up. Her arm flung itself towards the first monster, and blasted it to bits. Danni looked over to Hook to see him writing down something on a data pad, and going back to the main computer.

He tapped a few more keys and Danni's hands flung together, and though she tried to break them apart, they stuck together like glue. She watched as her hands morphed back, creating one giant cannon. Her body threw itself towards the two remaining enemies, and blasted them to smithereens. Hook watched, an unpleasant look in his eyes. "Excellent…." He purred.

Danni hoped, no, _prayed_, that the Autobots would find her soon. Hook was turning her into a weapon, a deadly one at that. She could have been so helpful to the Autobots, and she didn't even know it. Instead, she would probably be just another weapon for the Decepticons. Danni watched as her body moved on Hooks command, blasting, slicing and firing at anything that came near her. One hand a gun, the other a blade. She heard Hook laugh as she finished off the new batch of simulations. "Those stupid Autobots will never know what hit them!" Hook exclaimed.

Danni's eyes widened in horror. She was going to have to fight the Autobots if they didn't save her soon. She would have to fight Optimus. She would have to possibly kill him. Tears welled in her eyes, knowing she would be his murderer. She would kill the one she had taken in as her father. At that thought, Danni felt her spark flutter.

_Danni?_

Danni looked around in surprise. It sounded like Optimus.

_Danni, if you can hear me, please answer._

It was Optimus. He was in her heard. Well, at least his voice was. Danni shook her head, trying to get his voice out of there. Was she going insane? Probably. But, if Optimus was contacting her in some way, this was her chance to lead them to her.

_Optimus, I'm here. _

There was a small silence, and it made Danni tense. _O-Optimus? Are you there? I need you Optimus, I'm scared, and I don't wanna be here! _She cried inside her mind.

_We are here Danni, I know that you are scared, but we are right outside the warship. We are coming to get you, I swear-_

Danni jumped as alarms started to blare, and Hook jumped out of his seat, and ran out the door, screaming Cybertronian at the passing drones. Danni looked around, and closed her eyes, shaking her head. _Optimus no! You'll get killed! There's millions of them and only eight of you!_ Danni heard the soldiers footsteps sounding from outside, and fearing greatly for her friends.

_I will do whatever it takes to get you back._

Danni let the tears slip away from her eyes, down her cheeks as they dripped under her chin. _Optimus, they might make me hurt you! Hook! He, he has this computer, it's like a remote control! I-!_

_Danni, how could he make you hurt us?_

Danni felt her breathe shutter. He didn't know. They never knew. To him, she was still a Human, but she was nothing near. She was a freak, Hooks remote controlled monster. Danni looked down, falling to her knees as she put her hands on her face. _I'm not what you think I am Optimus. I'm, I'm a monster…_

Optimus simply didn't answer. Danni snapped her head towards the door as she heard gunshots, and saw the falling soldiers from outside the door. Bumblebee peeked his head inside the doorway, and immediately, all the Autobots hurried in, most at the doorway fighting off the Drones. Bumblebee and Optimus came rushing towards the glass window, looking through to see an extremely frightened Danni inside. Optimus brought back his fist, and slammed it against the glass. It shattered into a million tiny pieces on impact, and Bumblebee stepped through, Optimus unable to because of his height.

Bumblebee reached out towards her, and Danni ran towards the corner, shaking her head. "No! Stay back! I might hurt you!" She cried, and Bumblebee cocked his head to the side. Bee stepped forward a little more, and Danni shook her head, arm folded around herself. "You shouldn't have came! I'm not what you think I am!" The Autobots looked at her strangely, and Danni burst into tears.

"I'm not Human!"

Silence. That's all there was. Though they didn't stop shooting at 'Cons, everyone stared at her as if she'd just grown a second head. Bumblebee's servo quivered, Optimus optics looked ready to pop right out of his helm, and Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had the same identical look on their faceplates. "W-What?" Optimus managed to say.

Danni shook her head, hair flying in front of her face. "I-I didn't know before! I swear!" Danni felt more tears come down from her cheeks like a waterfall. She reached out her hands, and instead, they transformed into weapons. Bumblebee jumped back in surprise, and Optimus took a step back. Danni looked at her hands, and quickly tried to transform them back, though they did it quite slowly. Before she could say anything else, the Drones stomped through the doorway. Bumblebee quickly snatched Danni up, and the Autobots ran for their lives.

Bumblebee transformed, Danni screaming like a mad man as he did so, and was plopped down in the passenger seat, still screaming as he drove past all the 'Cons, towards the exit. Leadfoot, Topspin, and Roadbuster fought off Decepticons in front of Bee, but the scout just drove through, and exited the warship. And it turned out the Decepticons base was in the air. But, Danni had to learn that the hard way. Bumblebee dropped towards the ground, and Danni screamed her head off as she floated out of her seat, though the seatbelt held around her body firmly, bringing her back down onto the seat.

In another jumble of parts, Danni was clutched in Bumblebees servo, and he dropped towards the ground, leaving a crater in the Earth. Bumblebee ran away from the warship, Optimus landing behind him and the Wreckers soon after. Danni didn't know how long they had spent running, but Bumblebee finally came to a halt, the warship long gone behind them. Bumblebee put Danni down, and looked forward, making a beeping noise towards a couple of boulders.

Sam's head came from the top of the rock, and he looked back down. "All clear!" Humans poured out from behind the large rocks, murmuring amongst themselves. Ratchet and Dino came out too, herding the group back towards the Autobots. Danni saw Zane, and Zane saw Danni. Before the girl could saw anything, Zane flung himself at her, hugging her tightly.

"Oh my God Danni! I thought you were a goner! When I knew that those Decepticreeps took you!" He took her by the shoulders, shaking her. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!" He said firmly, though gave her another giant hug. Danni felt the warmth, but it felt…different. Hugs weren't the same, the way she looked at him wasn't the same.

"Zane, big bro, something, something really, really important happened when I was kidnapped." Danni said, looking into Zanes eyes. He cocked his head to the side, and Danni sighed. She turned away, and walked over towards Optimus, who looked down at her with sympathetic optics. Change was hard, he knew that all too well. But, this was a bit, drastic. Danni folded her arms, shaking her head as she hid herself behind Optimus.

Optimus sighed, and nodded towards Zane, who came forwards. Sam, Carly, Epps, and Will, watched curiously from afar as Optimus sighed. Optimus slowly explained what they had seen, and each face turned to listen to the news, each face turning to Danni with horror. She tried to ignore their burning stares, hot tears streaking down her cheeks. She didn't mean to be like this, it wasn't her fault. This was even worse than when she had that mental breakdown with Will.

"So, she's like that Alice Decepticon thing that tried to kill me once?" Sam questioned, crossing his arms. He didn't seem the bit frazzled by the news, unlike the others. He'd heard so much worse, been in weirder situations. Like, for example, buying an alien robot car at a crappy dealership. And dying, and being visited by the Primes. Oh wait, how about getting a Decepticon thingamabob stuck up his nose, wriggling around in his brain, and coming back out?

Bumblebee made a 'so so', sign, and Ratchet examined Danni for a moment before looking back at Sam. "It is more complicated than that Sam. As you know, 'Alice', was just a Pretender, all Cybertronian. But it appears Danni here is a hybrid of both Human and Cybertronian. It's fascinating, both Human DNA and Cybertronian genetics running through her veins." Ratchet bent down, carefully scanning the girl. "A flesh exterior, while a Cybertronian organs on the inside."

"Yeah, but how is that even possible?" Epps questioned. "I mean, did, one of you guys, you know, 'do it' with a Human?"

Leadfoot looked completely disgusted at the question, and Dino turned, crossing his arms over his chasis. "We would never, 'do it', with one of you fleshies!" He snarled. "I'm not even sure that's possible!" Everyone looked at Ratchet, who shook his head.

"I'm not even sure. All that currently know is that she is half and half. Half flesh, half metal." Ratchet explained. "Though, Roberts explanation could be possible…" Will gagged as Bumblebee looked ready to purge. Optimus gave Ratchet a stern glare, and began to talk to the Humans. Danni sat down on the side lines, head on her hands. Ratchet didn't even know what she was, and he was said to be the best medical officer in the universe. Well, apparently not. At least in Danni's case he wasn't.

It wasn't fair. She could have gone through her entire life not knowing that, but then again, it would be a bit strange not knowing that she was a Techno-Organic. She sighed. So, she had been adopted by her parents, the people she had thought were her actual parents? Why hadn't they told her? Well, it would be a bit too much to take in. Now that she thought about it, whenever the Autobots were on the tv, and or in the state, her parents would become tense, and nervous about where she went, what she did.

Slowly, Danni put together the pieces. It made sense, little by little. But, one question remained. Where had she come from, and where had her parents found her?


	15. Chapter 15

Outcast. Freak. Monster. All those words whispered in Danni's ear, and she hung her head, bangs covering her face. Shame, pain, anger, confusion, fright. Those emotions mixed into one, and she felt like a stranger among the people she had spent the two past months with. No one talked to her, people just looked at her with disgust, glaring at her and moving as far away as possible when she came near, as if she had some sort of contagious disease. Only Optimus gave her comfort. Even though Sam was okay with her being a Techno-Organic, he still didn't speak to her, trying to just stay with the Human group.

It was racist, at least she thought of it that way. They had shunned her away, not wanting to be next to something so disgusting, disturbing, unknown. Zane was probably the only Human who talked to her, but he was afraid of her still. So, Danni only had one person to go to. Optimus. She rested her head in the crook of his neck, his body leaning against a building as she watched the sun set. The Humans were getting ready for a much needed sleep, nestling themselves with their family, friends. Zane went down to plop himself on top of the dog pile of his friends, snoring soundly.

Danni looked violet pink sky was the sun slowly slipped under the horizon. Topspin, Leadfoot, and Roadbuster leaned against one anothers bodies as they slowly went into recharge. Bumblebee slept next to Sam and Carly, body curled protectively around his charge. Dino slept over by a group of Humans, sinking into his own tense recharge. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe laid in their own dog pile, looking as though they had fallen asleep as they were having a fight, Sideswipes fist right under Sunstreakers cheek, as Sunstreakers knee jabbed right into Sideswipes gut. And Ratchet, he had been paying close attention to Danni, so was sleeping a few feet away from Optimus and herself, head against one of the crumbling biuldings.

Optimus sat down as quietly as he could, and looked over to see Danni starring out into space. Optimus reflected on when he had first met her. So young, so innocent, confused, alone. It pained Optimus to see her have to grow up under the circumstances they were in. She was almost the same, confused and alone. But, she was different, much to different.

Danni closed her eyes, and sighed. "Optimus, every things changed." Optimus was silent. "Nothing makes sense anymore." Danni looked at Optimus in the optics. "So this is war. Where good guys don't win, where they don't ride off into the sunset. Where warriors, the innocent are destroyed and forgotten." Danni looked up to the heavens as Optimus listened intently, surprised by the sudden wisdom in her voice. "This is war, where anyone can die. Where everyone dies."

Optimus looked up at the stars as well. His ancestors looked down at him, shaking their heads. He had vowed to protect the weak and innocent, to protect Earth. He had failed, had broken his promise to mankind. He had brought misery, death and destruction to the planet he had called home. He had seen Humans fight Humans, and it reminded of their war. Brother killing brother, kin mauling kin, and for what? Revenge? Power? Respect? No one here deserved to die, no one deserved this type of fate. It wasn't right. It wasn't just.

Optimus closed his optics with a heavy sigh, feeling Danni slowly fall asleep as well.

**XXX**

_Darkness creeped up on her, flashes of light blinded her. Shadows shrouded her form, and she let a silent shriek of terror escape her lips as they pressed against her sides. Screams of pain entered the room, and unearthly cries erupted from the shadows, crying out in pain, sorrow, rage, and hunger. Pain for those who had gone and died. Sorrow for their own fateful deaths. Rage of how the Autobots did nothing to avenge them. And a bloodthirsty hunger for revenge. Their screams whirled around in her head, and she covered her ears, screaming as loud as her lungs would allow her. And suddenly, the screams stopped, but when Danni opened her eyes, all she saw was darkness. But, large, red optics opened in front of her, and leaked out of them was blood._

_A river flowed past her, and she gagged as the felt the thick, went up to her knees. Looking up, she saw a small glimmer of light appeared, descending down in front of her, clearing away the blood from her spot as it went on, a river of red. The ball of light fluttered closer to her, and as it came nearer, warm spread throughout Danni's entire body. But, the warmth went away, and was replaced by a chilling cold._

_The river grew higher, and the ball of light flew above her head, no longer protecting her from the currents. Danni became slowly engulfed by blood, and she reached up towards the ball of light, which fluttered away from her grasp. It spread mighty golden wings, and slowly brought them down on Danni, once again shielding her from the blood. The screams sounded off, howls of pain, people pleading for their lives. _

_Danni watched through the eyes of the victims, feeling as they burned, death pulling them away. The memories of peoples final moments flashed by her, and she watched, tears rolling down her cheeks. The orb pulled in its wings, cocooned her in the light. Danni felt herself float into the light, feeling carefree, happy for once in several months. The orb then spoke, voice lower than a whisper, carried into her ear by the light breeze._

**_Blood red optics shall light the way, and between his steps death shall stray._**

"DANNI!"

Danni slowly opened her eyes, eyes adjusting to the light. Epps stared down at her, relief in his eyes. She slowly lifted herself up, looking at the surrounding crowd, starring at her wildly. Where did she do? Did she sleep walk or something? "What…Why's everyone starring at me like that?" She questioned Epps.

"What do you mean, "why's everyone starring at me like that"? Girl, your heart just stopped beating! You died!"

Danni's eyes widened in shock. She'd just…died? How was that even possible? Her eyes went even wider in realization. The orb, it was taking her away…up to the Matrix. But, why? It certainly wasn't her time, and she wasn't in a life or death situation, so why had she just, well, died? She turned to see Optimus' worried face. "I…died?"

Optimus nodded.

Danni looked at everyone, as they curiously looked at her. She'd just died. Right there. At least she knew there was an afterlife. But, what about what the Matrix had told her? "He spoke…" Danni looked at the ground in disbelief. If she had spoken to the Matrix, she had spoken to Primus himself. A Cybertronian God, to whom no Human believed in, thinking it fake. But, Danni knew now he was far from fake, and looked at Optimus. "Primus…" She whispered.

"What? What is she talking about?" Epps looked at the Autobots, then back at Danni.

The Autobots ignored Epps ranting about what Danni was talking about, and looked down at the Techno-Organic in disbelief. "You…You spoke…to Primus?" Ratchet stuttered, optics looking ready to fall out of his head. Danni slowly nodded, still looking at the ground. Ratchet turned to Optimus. "What does that mean?" The medic questioned.

Optimus shook his head. "I do not know Ratchet. But, it is much like what Sam experienced. He had died, and was visited by the Primes. It appears something like that has just taken event." Optimus tried to sound as calm as possible. "If Primus has chosen to speak to her in some way, it was his choice of doing so."

Danni shuddered as the sounds of screams filled her ears again, and remembered Primus' voice, his words. What did they even mean? "Optimus," The large mech looked down at the tiny Techno-Organic. "He..He said something…I don't know what he meant by it…it was…" Danni tried to find words to describe what the god had said, but nothing came to mind.

"What did he say?" Optimus questioned, and everyone looked at her anxiously.

"He…He said, Blood red optics shall light the way, and between his steps death shall stray."

Optimus gave a grave look. Everything was silent, no one dared to even breathe. Those words didn't sound good at all, not one bit. Everyone looked shaken up by that, but Danni was the worst. She'd just delivered news to them, not so good news. Who was this person, death straying between his very steps? Was it Megatron? Maybe. It couldn't be the Fallen, Optimus had seen NEST totally demolish the Decepticon. But, a thought popped into Optimus' head, and his faceplate seemed to become a ghostly white, if it were even possible.

Unicron.

* * *

><p><strong>Next Chapter will be explaining where Danni came from, how she was formed, yadda yadda yadda. But, there was Chapter 15!<strong>


	16. Chapter 16

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I got a tiny case of writers block :P But, Chapter 16!**

* * *

><p>"Unicron." Optimus whispered.<p>

All Autobots looked at him in shock. Unicron, the destroyer. The name sent more fear into Cybertronians then Megatron himself. A shudder went down Dino's spine. The mech was never afraid, but the name made him want to go cower in a corner. Protoforms were threatened when they were bold that Unicron would come and get them. It was there, 'Boogie man', but, unlike Humans make believed monsters of the night, this demon was all too real.

Danni looked at Optimus, cocking her head to the side. But, her vision went dark again, and flames burst out of nowhere. Danni looked around in fear, trying not the get burnt by the surrounding flames. Suddenly, a dark figure slid up from the fire, the flames of hell lapping onto his metal plating, and his narrow, pale red optics looked into space. Danni felt herself cower away from the demon, and she scrambled as far away from it as possible. It's deathly stare looked down, right at Danni, optics piercing right into her soul.

"_I AM_ _UNICRON_!"

His voice boomed in her ears, and she held her hands over them, closing her eyes. She opened them again to find everyone starring at her strangely. _Again_. Danni cleared her throat, getting up. "We, we should get moving." She walked past the crowd, pushing through to get to the front. But, right at the edge of the Humans, she stopped. A jolt went down her spine, and she cried in pain, falling to her knees. The chip! She had completely forgotten about the stupid thing! But it seemed to Decepticons remembered the device. The electricity went through her entire body, and she shook, screaming.

Optimus rushed towards her, alarmed by what was going on with her. Optimus turned to ratchet, who was as alarmed as he was. "Ratchet! What's happening?" Optimus called towards the CMO as Danni cried even louder. Ratchet came to Optimus' side, and took several scans of the girl before his optics widened. Ratchet turned to Optimus, then back at Danni, and crouched to the ground.

"She's being shocked by some kind of chip. I must remove it immediately." Ratchet brought out a small blade from the tip of his digit, and located the chip, and carefully held Danni down to keep her from squirming too much, and sliced off the piece of skin, leaving the blood to leak through and he could almost see the cybernetic underneath the flesh. Danni shook still, but slowly, she stopped shaking. Ratchet gave her his finger for support, and Danni grasped it, legs wobbling as she stood. But right away, her hand slipped away from ratchets finger, and she fell back down on the ground.

She starred down at the ground, eyes wide as she heard a rumbling under the earth. The voices beside her were drowned out by the rumbling, and the others didn't seem to hear it. Red flashes past her eyes, and she breathed in and out heavily. Shockwave was coming. That shock had been the chip activating it's tracking it's tracking device. She jolted upright, and looked around, the rumbling still in her head. She brought back her head. "SHOCKWAVE! DECEPTICON, DECEPTICON!" She cried, and began running.

The Autobots and Humans looked at eachother with confusion, seeing no danger. But Optimus seemed to know better, and walked towards the group, urgency in his optics. "We must follow her!" He directed, and began to jog over to Danni. Will looked over his shoulder at the confused troops, and his eyes hardened.

"You heard him! Move!"

Now everyone began to run, though the Autobots had to keep a slow pace for the Humans to keep up with them. Danni ran at full speed, trying to get away from the rumbling. As she took a step, the soil below her seemed to dissolve, and she feel into a dark hole. Optimus saw her go down, and stopped at the edge of the hole, trying to see down it. "Danni! Are you alright?" He called, his voice echoing as it went down.

Danni coughed, the dust in her throat. Something had broken her fall, though her leg began to throb with pain. "I'm okay!" She called up towards the hole, seeing the light peeking through. She slowly got up, dusting herself off. Walking forwards, trying to see through the dark. But her head banged against metal, and she fell backwards, clutching her head. How many times was she going to get hurt today? The bang went throughout the entire place, and slowly, the lights flickered on, and Danni looked around in astonishment.

Computers, blinking lights and unknown switches were everywhere, halls lighting up as they led into different rooms. It looked like some old abandoned military base, and by the looks of it, nobody had been in here for years. Danni looked back up towards the hole. "Guys, I found something!" She called up, and looked around at the room for a moment. "I think you might want to check this out."

"We'll be right down!" Will's voice echoed in through the hole. Bumblebee dropped down from the hole, because he was the smallest Autobot and the only one that could fit through without breaking some of their bones from the drop. The yellow scout looked around for a moment, optics wide, and he looked up at the hole.

"_Come on down! See the eighth wonder of the world!_" Bumblebee put his servo up to the hole, bringing it back down with Will on his hand. Will looked around, a bit surprised at his surroundings. Danni had gone farther away from him and 'Bee, and was walking down the halls. Danni looked in at each room, growing more and more curious. Technology of every sort was in the rooms, scribbles on chalk boards of what looked like some sort of math. But, as she passed a room full of darkness, she stopped, peering inside. There was something about the room, something hidden, something secret.

Looking over her shoulder, she saw most of the soldiers in the main room, most of the Humans just coming through as the rest of the Autobots were trying to make the hole bigger for them to get through it. Carefully, she looked back at the room, took a deep breath, and entered. She could barely see through the darkness, but for some reason, she knew where she was going, like she'd been here before. Looking around, she saw an eerie faint green light, and cautiously, she walked towards it. Danni reached out, and touched a cold flat surface. She knew right away it wasn't another wall, because it lit up, showing some sort of writing.

Danni looked at the screen, narrowing her eyes. Reaching out towards the screen again, she touched one of the words. Project 160. The screen went blank for a moment, and came back to more diagrams of something. But a red box came up, and she scowled. Security code. Stupid technology, it knew she wasn't supposed to be in there.

"Danni?"

She jumped at the voiced, and turned around. Zane looked at her through the doorway, and carefully walked in. Zane walked up beside her, looking at the screen. "Trying to hack into the system?" Danni nodded. Zane smiled, and cracked his knuckles. "You're lucky I came along. I am the hacking wizard." He put his fingers on the keyboard, and began typing at an insane speed, bringing up a whole new screen filled with symbols and some letters and numbers. "And…" He pressed the enter button, and crossed his arms, a smug look on his face. "Done." The screen went back onto the diagram, and Danni took the mouse in her hand, looking for something to click on. Zane looked at the screen, and pointed towards one of them. "There, click there." He pointed towards the top left corner.

Danni brought the curser over to where he had directed, and clicked on it, getting a whole new other screen. It seemed to be written by one of the workers of whatever Project 160 was, a log of some sort.

_I feel so horrible, that's why I had to write this. I can't lie anymore, I have to let it out to whoever is reading this. I'll probably get fired, but I don't care anymore. Project 160 started out as a simple mistake, but they turned it into a weapon, a horrible, horrible weapon. It was an average day on Base when we were informed that aliens had landed on Earth. We didn't know what to think. I had been here for three years and nothing like that had ever happened. But, after a couple years, NEST was made, and that's when the madness started. _

_I was just studying the biology of Cybertronians with a bit of the Autobots DNA they had donated for our science, when, it, happened. I was tired, and I was stupid enough to accidently knock over one of the test tubes, breaking it. But, I got cut by one of the shards of glass, and it got into the DNA sample. When I looked through the microscope to see if the sample was soiled, I found that the Human blood mixed in with the energon, creating a whole new DNA sample. A mix of both Human and Cybertronian, it was fascinating._

_It was a simple mistake, and it was truly fascinating, but a mistake. But, my superiors thought of it was a major military accomplishment. They told me to take more samples of the Human Cybertronian DNA, and so I did as I was told. They gave me actual Human flesh, and pieces of dead Decepticons, and soon, after 2 years, I managed to make Human metal flesh. I thought it was simply for science, but how wrong I was. They began to make some sort of super soldier, out of the pieces and organs of fallen warriors, Decepticon or Autobot. And we lied to NEST and the Autobots of what we were going to do to the bodies, we told them we would bury them. But, instead they just became part of some sick experiment._

_I never meant for it to happen. We went through project after project, all of them failing. But, then we made 160, the first perfect model. The only flaw, it came out as a girl. A young girl. All of the others had been men, fully grown, but the genes had gotten scrambled, and somehow made it out as a girl. I'm not sure how, but it did. After 4 more years, it was just finished forming when they began to activate its weapons system, when the government disbanded us, saying our work was untrustworthy and dangerous. And I fully agree with them. But, we didn't know what to do with Project 160. She was fully formed, weapons and all, and we didn't want to destroy what we had spent almost 6 years working on. _

_So, by chance, I was chosen to take on the responsibility of Project 160. I don't know what to tell from here, but there is something you should know. If put into the wrong hands, Project 160 could-_

Danni starred at the screen, breathing hard. She was this, Project 160. She was manmade, and as this man put it, she was a mass weapon of destruction. But, she knew who the man was. This man was her father. He had created her, and she knew that since he had, 'taken responsibility of', that meant he was the one who had raised her, along with her, 'mother'. But, it was all so much to take in at the moment. Zane barely even breathed, starring at the screen.

"It just, stopped." He said quietly. "If put in the wrong hands, you could do what? What was so bad that he would have to warn others?" Zane questioned, not even fazed by the fact she was some sort of sick government experiment gone horribly right. "What do you think he was trying to say?" Zane looked at Danni curiously, and she just stood in her spot, starring at the screen.

"I-I don't know." She whispered, shaking her head. So much had happened today, it was too much. She'd talked to Primus, practically died, seen Unicron in a vision, been shocked by a metal tracker device chip, heard Shockwave tunneling underground, fallen down a hole, which was actually an underground military base, hacked into a super top security file, and found out she was made by a bunch of mad scientists.

If that wasn't a lot, she didn't know what was.

* * *

><p><strong>So there you have it! Danni is not some creation of a Human and Cybertronian making, 'Love', *Shudders*, but instead, is some government experiment. Dang Government, always doing stuff behind our backs...<strong>


	17. Chapter 17

Now no one even looked at Danni. They all knew what she was, and what she wasn't. She was a freak of nature, not meant to even in existence. A few brave ones shot her a glare at times, but when she looked at them, they would scurry away in fear. The Autobots even hated her, and the government. First, they lied to them about the Autobot ship with Sentinel inside, now they had lied to them about taking their comrades bodies and using them for some sick experiment? So many secrets were in this war, in their lives. Everyone hated her, Optimus even sighed when she came near, regretting slightly that he had trusted her, the Humans. Danni felt guilty that he had to be bonded with something as disgusting as herself.

Everyone had settled in their own rooms in the underground base, getting their own rooms, sharing bunks with others. The Autobots even had company of either another Human or another Autobot. Danni had her own small room, the last one, and nobody, Cybertronian or Human, entered there. She was now an official loner, cast away from the world. She came out during the day, barely ate any food in the evening, and went to her room at night, though she didn't sleep. And that was it. Nothing more.

Danni looked down at the mush of food down on her plate, poking it tiredly. She wasn't hungry anymore, she wasn't ever that hungry. Sighing, she rested her chin on the table, staring blankly into space. Optimus watched her from the large doorway, optics narrowing. She had grown thin, extremely thin. Her skin was getting paler and paler each day, no longer the rosy cheeked child he once knew. But, what saddened Optimus the most, was that it was somewhat a special day for her. Her creation day, or as Humans put it, 'birthday'. Though no one knew for sure if this was even the day she was created, but, none the less, it was supposed to be a happy day for her.

No, it was nowhere near happy. She was alone, half starving, and every day was another tragedy. Optimus saw the boy Zane visit her at night, afraid to be next to her during the day because of his so called friends disliking Danni, and telling Zane that they were his friends, she was just a freak. Optimus had overheard one of their conversations about Danni, and would sooner or later have a little chat with those boys. Danni sighed once again, and got up, slowly walking out of the cafeteria. She barely even noticed Optimus at the doorway, just walked past him, eyes glazed over.

Sighing, she down the hall, getting a few glares on the way, but she didn't care. She'd been through a lot, too much for an eleven year old, well, a ten year old who just turned eleven. Slouching over, she stared at the floor, watching as her feet came in and out of view. Closing her eyes, she let a few memories slip out of the vault she had created for them, to keep them away. When she started school, her first best friend, Stephanie. When she got her first bike, how she would ride alongside her so called father. How she was walking along the streets of Chicago with her 'mother' and 'father', how the Decepticons killed them. How her life led her to finding Optimus, the one person who somewhat understood her, accepted her.

Danni stopped in front of her room door, and let it slide open. She walked into the rather dark room, and slowly, plopped down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She just felt so..empty. What was there to live for? She was a weapon of mass destruction, her creator had even said so. She would be better off dead, because if she got into the 'Cons claws and they figure out what made her tick, she could hurt the Autobots. She could hurt Optimus. She would never want to hurt them, even though Dino looked like he wanted to hurt her a lot, she would never dream of hurting any of them.

Narrowing her eyes at the ceiling, she slowly breathed, chest rising and falling with each breath. She felt tired, but she couldn't fall asleep, she never really did. She just thought at night, thought of how messed up things were getting, how everything had changed so quickly, how she now hated change. She would try transforming her arm into a weapon, then back into a hand. Sometimes she would do that the entire night, watching how easily her hand split apart, and formed something so dangerous, so deadly. Her parents had told her never to touch a gun, but the fact was, she was a gun. Kinda ironic if you thought about it.

They told her that killing things was a very thing to do, they told her never to become a cop or be in the military or anything dangerous like that. She thought back then that they were just worried for her safety, and of course, she promised. But now she knew why. If she got too riled up, or got hurt in some way, people would find out she wasn't Human, and turn to the government, the Autobots for an explanation of what she was. Danni knew they were worried for her as well. She would be sent to some scientist for study, and they would probably dissect her, looking through her guts. She shuddered at the thought of being cut open. She never really trusted doctors, Ratchet was just an exception. Doctors were too nice and clean smelling, there had to be something wrong with them, and she never ever trusted one. Hook especially.

Bringing her hand up into view, she looked it over, and switched it into a gun, then back. Bringing up her other hand, she switched it into a blade, then back. It felt weird, feeling them change like that. It felt numb as it broke apart, then she felt her gun as it formed. She never actually fired on her own will, only when Hook had been testing her weapons. She wondered if Ratchet could do that. Probably not, he didn't have the technology or anything. _But he could build it….._She thought.

Would the Autobots use her as their own weapon? _Of course not, their your friends!_ A voice said in the back of her head. _But, if Ratchet could create something similar to Hooks machine, would they?_ Another countered. Were they really her friends? Most seemed to really hate her right now, all except Bumblebee and Optimus. It scared her to think they would jump at the chance to get revenge on the Decepticons, using her as their secret weapon. So, she was an ultimate danger on both sides, Autobot and Decepticon alike. But Optimus would surely not allow such a thing, right? He believed freedom was the right of every sentient being, he saw beauty in all life. But, to win the war, would he do such a thing. Yeah, Danni wanted to help, but she didn't want to be some mindless weapon. It kind of reminded of one of those remote controlled toy robots, but in a crueler way. With something that had feelings, some that could hurt,

Something that could die.

They wouldn't, no, _couldn't _be as cruel as the Decepticons. They liked Humans. But wait, she wasn't Human. So, did that mean they didn't want her, or they somewhat liked her? Right now in the chart of love and hate, she was tipping onto each side. On one hand, she helped Ratchet out on stuff still, though he was always a bit wary of her presence. She often watched the Wreckers tussle, and although she did have some strength, she was still half Human, and still pretty fragile compared to the rest. Sideswipe seemed pretty cool with her being all half robot and stuff, but Sunstreaker thought otherwise, walking away whenever Danni came by Sideswipe for whatever reason.

Rolling onto her side, Danni now stared at the wall. She would always switch sides on what she was looking at, getting bored of one thing and looking at the next. A knock on her door made her jump out of her bed, weapons out as she looked around, eyes wide and breath quick. But, as the door slid open, she sighed in relief. Only Optimus. The mech looked down at her. "You're just as bad as Ironhide." He mused, thinking slightly about his fallen comrade. He shook off the thought, and bent down in front of the saddened child. "I know this is a..special day for you-"

Danni crossed her arms, looking away from him. "You don't even know if it's the real thing…" She grumbled under her breathe. Optimus looked down at her sternly, and gently nudged her in stomach, causing her to stumble over a bit.

"If it is, or if it isn't, I will not allow you to lay here all alone in the dark." He said, and before Danni could protest, picked her up in his palm, walking out of the room and into the hallway. Danni looked down, trying to see if she could jump and still live. But Optimus was at least 45 feet tall, no way could she try to escape and live. Sighing, she plopped herself down in the palm, placing her head on top of her knees, eyes looking forwards. No use in struggling now, the Prime seemed determined to celebrate her birthday, and was forcing her to too. It might not have been fair, but how were you to argue with a giant who could squish you like a bug. Sure, since she was a techno-organic some considered her somewhat invincible, but she was still partially Human, and if someone happened to step on her, that would be the end of that.

Danni watched as Optimus turned several corners, nodding to several soldiers in the process, and halted at a door. Danni knew this door, it was his door, the door that led into Optimus' quarters. No one, and she meant NO ONE, had really ever entered the mechs new quarters yet. The door slide open, and Danni looked around in amazement. Medals, trophies, awards, every single achievement anyone could think of, was all hoarded in his room. Where had he stashed all this stuff in the old base? There was just too much of it! Optimus quietly entered, the door sliding shut behind him, and set Danni down on his berth, going over to some sort of closet.

Danni watched curiously as he picked through things, trying to find something. Optimus stopped, and turned back towards her, something in his servos. The mech walked towards her bending down to come optic level with her. Uncovering the thing under his servos , Danni's eyes widened in wonder. It was a small shard, small, blue and glowing. It looked like a crystal broken off of something, mixed with a piece of metal. All in all, it was extremely beautiful. Optimus carefully let the object fall into Danni's own hands, and she examined it carefully. It felt like it was, alive. "I have been waiting for someone special to give this to." Danni looked up at Optimus. "It is, very important to me, to the Autobots…"

Danni looked back down at the shard, and back at Optimus. "What is it?"

"It is, the last remaining shard of the Allspark…" Optimus said, sounding distant. Danni's mouth was left agape, looking at the shard in her quivering hands. This was the…Allspark? The thing that had brought life to their planet? The thing that had caused their war to come to Earth? Why would Optimus give it to her, if it was that important? "I trust you Danni, and I know you will protect it." Danni looked up at him once more, nodding slightly. Now she knew he was serious. Well, he was always serious. But this was such a big responsibility, and really, really, REALLY big responsibility, and he had put it in the hands of a child.

"Optimus…I…I don't know what to say…I…" Danni couldn't find the words to describe what she felt. The mech simply smiled at her, nodding. Danni slowly got up, and walked towards him, placing her head on his helm. Optimus looked at the young Human, blinking as she closed her eyes. "Thank you." She whispered. "For everything." Those two words, "Thank you", put her thanks to him for saving her life when they had first met, comforting her when she had nightmares, helping her through the trauma Skywarp had left on her, saving her from the Decepticons, accepting her when others shunned her away for being a Techno-Organic, for right now.

Optimus brought up his servo, wrapping his fingers over her small form protectively. "All's well little one, all's well." He said quietly, his grip tightening ever so slightly. Danni sniffled, tears welling in her eyes. She couldn't thank him enough, for all he had done and all he would do for her, for Humanity, for Earth. He had saved her race so many times, and she didn't even know it. He didn't know how thankful she was, how grateful for him. She let only a small tear fall down her cheek, trying hard not to let it all fall down, causing the water works. They stayed like that, head against helm, for a few moments more.

Danni opened her eyes slowly, watching as Optimus' own flickered slightly. She brought her head away only a little, looking at the scratches on his blue head. There were so many, each a scar a different story of how he had fought against the Decepticons, how he had fought for them. Optimus was the most amazing, sincere, kind person anyone could ever meet. He had a least tried to celebrate her birthday, and though she didn't ask for it, it made her feel good. He had tried, and that was all she asked for. It didn't matter that he couldn't give her an actual birthday, or that he didn't barley know what a birthday was, it just mattered that he had cared enough to do something.

All that mattered to her right now, was that they were together, and no one could part them.


End file.
